De Havilland DHC-2 N91AK

Summary

On 9 September 2016 at about 19:30 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 registered N91AK, operated by Island Air, was involved in an accident near Kodiak, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 September 2016 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

57.6606, -153.3189

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-2

Registration

N91AK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1954

Engines

1

Operator

Island Air

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kodiak → Amook Bay

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC16LA062

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb and turn after takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was conducting a scheduled commuter flight between remote villages in a float-equipped airplane. After making an intermediate stop to drop off a company maintenance technician at a remote lake, the pilot back-taxied the airplane to the east in preparation for a westerly departure. He estimated the wind at 15 knots with increasing gusts to 25 knots from the west. Ground witnesses and passengers on board the airplane reported that the pilot initiated a takeoff to the west, toward an area of rising, tree-covered terrain. After becoming airborne, the airplane entered a left turn to avoid the terrain. The left turn steepened, and the airplane then entered a steep nose-down descent into the terrain. The pilot reported that he did not recall any preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. Due to his injuries, he was unable to recall the events of the accident. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane. Given the witness accounts of the accident, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb toward and subsequent turn away from rising terrain, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.