De Havilland DHC-2 N915RC
7 June 2009 · Anchorage, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 June 2009 at about 21:50 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 registered N915RC, operated by James M Eule, was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 4 people were 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 21:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Anchorage, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Lake Hood Seaplane (ALH)
- Coordinates
- 61.1800, -149.9719
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-2
- Registration
- N915RC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- James M Eule
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Anchorage → Bulchitna Lake
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC09CA050
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The private pilot was taking off in the float plane from the lake's west waterway. The airplane was on step, gaining airspeed, and the takeoff run seemed normal to the pilot. The airplane was nearing takeoff speed, and proceeding directly down the waterway, when it encountered a right quartering tailwind gust that lifted up the right wing and float. The airplane veered to the left toward a steep bank, and the pilot was unable to correct the deviation with the rudder. He did not feel that he could reduce power as he would slam into the bank. The airplane lifted off, but the float collided with the top of the bank. The airplane cartwheeled about 160 degrees to the left before coming to rest on its right side. It sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and floats. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures. Reported wind at the airport approximately 3 minutes after the accident was from 020 degrees magnetic at 3 knots, with no recorded gusts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 2009 | De Havilland DHC-2 | King Salmon, Alaska, United States | Katmai Air Leasing LLC | No injuries | - |
| 20 Feb 2009 | De Havilland DHC-2 / U-6A | Kenai, Alaska, United States | Civil Air Patrol - Alaska Wing | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 2010 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Katmai National Park, Alaska, United States | Branch River Air Service | Fatal | 4 |
| 11 May 2008 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | Rust's Flying Service Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2008 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | Ward Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 May 2008 | De Havilland DHC-2 MK I | Stehekin, Washington, United States | Lake Chelan Air Service, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 2009 | Beechcraft V35A | Northway, Alaska, United States | Patigler Gerhard | Fatal | 2 |
| 11 Jul 2009 | Noorduyn UC-64A | Akiachak, Alaska, United States | Renfro Michael W | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2009 | Beechcraft G18S | Yakutat, Alaska, United States | Munich Hans W | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 2009 | Cessna A185F | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Frank R. Bell | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 2009 | Harden RV-7 | Elim, Alaska, United States | Harden Bruce D R | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 Aug 2009 | Cessna 180 | Chugiak, Alaska, United States | Beam Douglas Jade | Minor injuries | - |