Alpine Air Express
Encyclopedia
Alpine Air Express is an American
airline
based in Provo
, Utah
, USA
. It operates scheduled air cargo services on over 15 routes throughout Utah, North Dakota
, South Dakota
, and Montana
. Its main base is the Provo Municipal Airport
.
acquired the majority stake (80%) in Alpine Air Express, the other 20% being publicly held. It originally operated scheduled passenger and cargo services, aircraft maintenance and a flight school, but now concentrates on cargo services. The airline tried to establish Alpine Air Chile, in an attempt of entering Chile
's air freight market. The project was not successful and was discontinued in 2005, with three Beechcraft 1900C being re-integrated into the US fleet.
August 2004-- While operating a Billings to Kalispell, MT flight for the US Postal Service, the Beech 99 crashed into Big Baldy mountain, located near Great Falls, MT. Two crewmembers died.
January 2008-- An Alpine Air Raytheon Beech 1900 crashed into the Pacific Ocean on a cargo flight between Honolulu Intl Airport and Lihue Intl in Hawaii. This crash claimed one life: the pilot of the aircraft.
May 2008-- Upon departure from Billings, MT, ATC instructed the Beech 1900C to turn left. The Part 135 cargo plane slowly turned right and crashed into a warehouse nearby. Witnesses say the plane was inverted prior to the crash which claimed the life of the single pilot onboard.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It operates scheduled air cargo services on over 15 routes throughout Utah, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Its main base is the Provo Municipal Airport
Provo Municipal Airport
Provo Municipal Airport is a public airport located two miles west of the city of Provo in Utah County, Utah, USA. It is currently the second busiest public airport in Utah in terms of aircraft movements, with 172,000 logged aircraft operations in a twelve month period ending in May 2007.The...
.
History
The airline was established in 1972. In October 2004 Universal ExpressUniversal Express
Universal Express claimed to be a transportation and logistics service company and was registered in Nevada and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. However, investigation by the SEC clearly revealed that the primary business of USXP was the production of and distribution of billions of illegal,...
acquired the majority stake (80%) in Alpine Air Express, the other 20% being publicly held. It originally operated scheduled passenger and cargo services, aircraft maintenance and a flight school, but now concentrates on cargo services. The airline tried to establish Alpine Air Chile, in an attempt of entering Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
's air freight market. The project was not successful and was discontinued in 2005, with three Beechcraft 1900C being re-integrated into the US fleet.
Fleet
The Alpine Air Express fleet includes the following aircraft (at March 2007):- 12 Raytheon Beech 1900C AirlinerBeechcraft 1900The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company . It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner...
- 1 Raytheon Beech 1900D AirlinerBeechcraft 1900The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company . It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner...
- 3 Raytheon Beech 99Beechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
- 4 Raytheon Beech 99ABeechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
- 1 Raytheon Beech B99 ExecutiveBeechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
- 5 Raytheon Beech C99Beechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
Incidents
October 1992-- An Alpine Air PA-42 deviated off course and crashed into a mesa in Grand Junction, CO while operating as an airtaxi flight. There were three fatalities: the pilot and two passengers.August 2004-- While operating a Billings to Kalispell, MT flight for the US Postal Service, the Beech 99 crashed into Big Baldy mountain, located near Great Falls, MT. Two crewmembers died.
January 2008-- An Alpine Air Raytheon Beech 1900 crashed into the Pacific Ocean on a cargo flight between Honolulu Intl Airport and Lihue Intl in Hawaii. This crash claimed one life: the pilot of the aircraft.
May 2008-- Upon departure from Billings, MT, ATC instructed the Beech 1900C to turn left. The Part 135 cargo plane slowly turned right and crashed into a warehouse nearby. Witnesses say the plane was inverted prior to the crash which claimed the life of the single pilot onboard.