Description: From Reeder (1992): "During 1989, nearly continuous minor steam emissions occurred from the tephra cone in the Akutan summit caldera. Between February 27 and March 28, several tephra explosions occurred from the caldera tephra cone.
"On February 27, 1989, at about 1200, Lawrence Prokopioff, a resident of Akutan village, observed a small vertical blast of ash with steam from the summit tephra cone of Akutan volcano from his small boat just north of Akutan Island. The plume was large enough to be easily noticed (probably the plume had a height of under 500 m above the volcano).
"On March 15 and 0900, pilot Nic Sias of Peninsula Airways Inc. felt an atmospheric shock wave while he was southbound for Dutch Harbor in his Grumman Goose over the west shore of Akutan volcano. He then noticed the unusual rapid growth and rise of a black eruption plume from the summit tephra cone of Akutan volcano. The top of the rising plume quickly disappeared into the 1,800 m altitude cloud cover. The visibility was very good for Nic underneath this cloud cover, but he could not see through the cloud cover. With no additional eruption observation, he landed at his destination (Dutch Harbor) at about 0930. Richard Petrie of Trident Seafoods Corporation near Akutan village noticed from his office window the same eruption plume. Richard was able to see through the broken 1,800 m cloud cover, and he estimated that the black plume rapidly rose up to 2,300 m above the volcano. The plume changed to a smaller grayish steam plume and then eventually to a much smaller white steam plume. This sequence occurred over a period of several hours. At about 1430, David McGlashan, president of the Akutan Corporation, noticed from the Akutan village a small dark gray eruption plume from Akutan volcano that was drifting south. At about 1500, Pilot Nic Sias and photographer Harold Wilson flew new the volcano. Some dark steam was being emitted from the summit tephra cone. Fresh ash covered snow on the entire W and SW flanks of the volcano above a 600 m elevation, which was the only sides of the volcano they got views of.
"In the morning of March 16, 1989, David McGlashan reported that a very light ash dusting occurred at the Akutan village the night before. A trace of ash was easily noticed on window sills in the village. At 1100, Harold Wilson reported that the summit region of Akutan volcano was white with fresh snow as he flew by it from Dutch Harbor to Anchorage.
"Sometime between March 17 and 31, 1989, David McGlashan noticed for the first time that steam emissions were occurring from a crater on the E side of the near summit tephra cone. Before, all steam emissions were occurring from the W side of the near summit cone.
"Craig Leth of FAA noticed on March 28 and 29, 1989, that the top of Akutan volcano was black with fresh looking ash deposits. Minor steam emissions were occurring at the time.
"On March 31, 1989, at about 1945, Lieutenant Commander Steve Rapalus and his crew observed a large white plume above Akutan volcano from his U.S. Coast Guard C-130 as he was flying from Dutch Harbor to Kodiak. The plume was at least 600 m above the volcano and the top had drifted to the south for up to 7 km. The plume did appear white to Steve. Earlier, at 1900, Linda Logan of Trident Seafoods Corporation near Akutan village noticed no eruptive activity from the volcano, which she could see at the time."