De Havilland DHC-3 N5056Q
10 February 1989 · Fairbanks, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 February 1989 at about 13:45 local time, a De Havilland DHC-3 registered N5056Q was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Fairbanks (FAI)
- Coordinates
- 64.8099, -147.7196
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-3
- Registration
- N5056Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fairbanks → Eagle
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC89FA043
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO REMOVE FROST FROM THE AIRCRAFT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: IMPROPER WEIGHT AND BALANCE AND SNOW COVERED TERRAIN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PLT RPRTD THAT BEFORE THE FLT, THE WINGS & STABILIZER WERE SWEPT, LEAVING A LAYER OF 'POLISHED' FROST. FREIGHT WAS LOADED & THE ACFT WAS SERVICED TO BRING THE FUEL LEVEL UP TO 120 GAL. AFTER START, TAXI & RUN-UP, THE PLT BEGAN HIS TAKEOFF FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE 10,300 FT RWY (WITH 35' MP & 2250 RPM). AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL, HE ADJUSTED THE POWER (TO 30' MP & 2000 RPM) & RAISED THE FLAPS TO CLIMB AT 82 KTS. HOWEVER, THE ACFT DID NOT CLIMB & WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN LEVEL FLT. THE PLT INCREASED THE POWER (TO 31' MP & 2100 RPM), BUT HE BELIEVED THERE WAS A DEFINITE LOSS OF POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED WHEN THE PLT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF ON SNOW COVERED TERRAIN BEYOND THE END OF THE RWY. NO PRE-ACDNT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. AN INV REVEALED THE ENTIRE ACFT WAS COVERED WITH A COATING OF FROST. COMPANY RECORDS SHOWED THE EMPTY WEIGHT OF THE ACFT WAS 5088 LBS; THE ACFT'S ACTUAL EMPTY WEIGHT WAS 5285 LBS. AN FAA INSPECTOR CALCULATED THAT THE TAKEOFF GROSS WEIGHT EXCEEDED THE MAX LIMIT BY 130 LBS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-3 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan 1989 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Sep 1989 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Sheenjek River, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 1989 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Palmer, Alaska, United States | Woods Air Service | No injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1990 | De Havilland DHC-3 | King Salmon, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1988 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Eagle, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1988 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Wrangell, Alaska, United States | Diamond Aviation | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1989 | Piper PA-32 | Kasigluk, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 1989 | Cessna 185E | Alexander Lake, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1989 | Aeronca 15AC | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 1989 | Cessna 180-A | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 1989 | Cessna 185 | Trinity Lake, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1989 | Cessna 152 | Kenai, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |