De Havilland DHC-2 N9313Z

Summary

On 21 August 2010 at about 22:12 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 registered N9313Z, operated by Branch River Air Service, was involved in an accident near Katmai National Park, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 August 2010 at 22:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Katmai National Park, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

56.9610, -158.5792

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-2

Registration

N9313Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Branch River Air Service

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Swikshak River → King Salmon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC10FA100

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed a remote, oceanside lagoon in a float-equipped airplane with three passengers on an on-demand air taxi flight in reduced visibility and heavy rain. When the airplane did not reach its destination, the operator reported the airplane overdue. Extensive search-and-rescue efforts along the coast and inland failed to find the wreckage. After the search ended, small portions of the fragmented airplane washed ashore about 28 miles northeast of the departure lagoon. The remainder of wreckage has not been located despite sonar searches of the ocean near where the wreckage was found. A stowed tent and duffle bag, which were reported to be aboard the airplane, were also found ashore near the wreckage location. The tent and duffel bag exhibited evidence of exposure to a high temperature environment, such as a fire. However, there was no evidence indicating that the fire occurred in flight. The lack of soot on the undamaged areas of the items, as well as the very abrupt demarcation line between the damaged portion and the undamaged material, is consistent with these items floating in the water and being exposed to a fuel fire on the surface of the water, rather than having been exposed to a fire in the airplane’s cargo compartment. Due to the fragmentation of the recovered wreckage, it is likely that the airplane collided with ocean’s surface while in flight; however, because the engine and a majority of the wreckage have not been found, the sequence of events leading to the accident could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.