De Havilland DHC-2 / U-6A N5342G

Summary

On 20 February 2009 at about 19:15 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 / U-6A registered N5342G, operated by Civil Air Patrol - Alaska Wing, was involved in an accident near Kenai, Alaska, United States. 3 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.

Date

20 February 2009 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Kenai, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.5667, -151.2333

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-2 / U-6A

Registration

N5342G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Civil Air Patrol - Alaska Wing

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kenai → Kenai

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC09LA022

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s decision to attempt a touch-and-go landing toward rising terrain and with a tailwind, resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certificated flight instructor was familiarizing the second pilot with ski operations in a ski-equipped airplane during an instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that he took the flight controls from the second pilot to demonstrate a touch-and-go landing on a frozen, snow-covered lake. After landing to the east, the instructor said that he kept the tail of the airplane up and the airspeed just below flying speed in order to make ski tracks on the lake to check the snow conditions. About midway along the lake the instructor added full engine power and the airplane became airborne but failed to climb sufficiently to avoid colliding with an area of rising, tree-covered terrain at the departure end of the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. Postaccident examination revealed no preaccident mechanical anomalies. The instructor noted that after the accident he noticed occasional strong gusts of wind from the west.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.