De Havilland DHC-2 N952DB
13 May 2019 · Ketchikan, Alaska, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 13 May 2019 at about 20:21 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 registered N952DB, operated by Mountain Air Service LLC, was involved in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. 16 people were on board and 6 died, 9 were seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:21
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 55.4256, -131.5050
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-2
- Registration
- N952DB
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1952
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Mountain Air Service LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Ketchikan
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN19MA141
People
6 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept, which prevented the two pilots from seeing the other airplane before the collision, and the absence of visual and aural alerts from both airplanes’ traffic display systems, while operating in a geographic area with a high concentration of air tour activity. Contributing to the accident were (1) the Federal Aviation Administration’s provision of new transceivers that lacked alerting capability to Capstone Program operators without adequately mitigating the increased risk associated with the consequent loss of the previously available alerting capability and (2) the absence of a requirement for airborne traffic advisory systems with aural alerting among operators who carry passengers for hire.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
On May 13, 2019, about 1221 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped de Havilland DHC 2 (Beaver) airplane, N952DB, and a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3 (Otter) airplane, N959PA, collided in midair about 8 miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The DHC-2 pilot and four passengers sustained fatal injuries. The DHC-3 pilot sustained minor injuries, nine passengers sustained serious injuries, and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. The DHC-2 was destroyed, and the DHC-3 sustained substantial damage. The DHC-2 was registered to and operated by Mountain Air Service LLC, Ketchikan, Alaska, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 as an on-demand sightseeing flight. The DHC-3 was registered to Pantechnicon Aviation LTD, Minden, Nevada, and operated by Venture Travel, LLC, dba Taquan Air, Ketchikan, Alaska, under the provisions of Part 135 as an on-demand sightseeing flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Havilland DHC-2 | N952DB | Mountain Air Service LLC | Destroyed |
| De Havilland DHC-3 | N959PA | Venture Travel, LLC | Substantial |
Other De Havilland DHC-2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2019 | De Havilland DHC 2 | Metlakatla, Alaska, United States | Venture Travel, LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 May 2019 | De Havilland DHC 2 | Hollister, California, United States | Diesel Acquisitions Llc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2019 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | Pacific Airways | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2018 | De Havilland DHC 2 MK. I(L20A) | Kukaklek Lake, Alaska, United States | T-Corp | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2018 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Willow, Alaska, United States | Alaska Skyways, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Aug 2018 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | K2 Aviation | Fatal | 5 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 2019 | Maule M6 | Moose Pass, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 12 May 2019 | Cessna A185 | Northway, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2019 | Stinson 108 | Soldotna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 2019 | Cessna 180 | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2019 | De Havilland BEAVER DHC 2 MK.1 | Kotzebue, Alaska, United States | Arctic Air LLC | No injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2019 | De Havilland BEAVER DHC 2 | Mountain Village, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |