Controlled Flight Into Terrain · NTSB ANC10MA068
DEHAVILLAND DHC-3 — Aleknagik, AK
| Date | August 9, 2010 |
| Location | Aleknagik, AK |
| Aircraft | DEHAVILLAND DHC-3 |
| Purpose of flight | Other Work Use |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 62 |
| Pilot total time | Unknown |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 5, 4 serious |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Physical-(general)-(general)-Pilot
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Indicating/recording systems-Data recorders (flight/maint)-Not specified
- Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Equipment/furnishings-Emergency locator beacon-Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues-Operating environment-Meteorological services-Meteo equip coverage/avail-Not specified
- Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Equipment/furnishings-Emergency equipment-Not specified
What happened
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11/03.
On August 9, 2010, about 1442 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine powered, amphibious float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3T airplane, N455A, impacted mountainous, tree-covered terrain about 10 nautical miles (nm) northeast of Aleknagik, Alaska. The airline transport pilot and four passengers received fatal injuries, and four passengers received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage, including deformation and breaching of the fuselage. The flight was operated by GCI Communication Corp. (GCI), of Anchorage, Alaska, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. About the time of the accident, meteorological conditions that met the criteria for marginal visual flight rules were reported at Dillingham Airport, Dillingham, Alaska, about 18 nm south of the accident site. No flight plan was filed. The flight departed about 1427 from a GCI-owned private lodge on the shore of Lake Nerka and was en route to a remote sport fishing camp about 52 nm southeast on the Nushagak River.