De Havilland DHC-2 N814DW
12 July 2023 · McCarthy, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 12 July 2023 at about 02:30 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 registered N814DW, operated by Wrangell Mountain Air Inc, was involved in an accident near McCarthy, Alaska, United States. 2 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 02:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- McCarthy, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 61.4420, -142.8961
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-2
- Registration
- N814DW
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1949
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Wrangell Mountain Air Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- McCarthy → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC23LA052
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
A failure of the right brake caliper bolts during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent impact with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing roll on a gravel-covered airstrip, the airplane veered left, went through an embankment, and came to rest upright. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the right brake caliper bolts failed in overload. The lower bolt was broken in half, the upper bolt was not located, and the brake caliper was located in brush. Given that the airplane is routinely operated from rough, uneven, gravel-covered, off airport sites, it is likely that the brake caliper and bolts sustained impact damage, resulting in the failure of the attachment hardware.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2023 | De Havilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A) | Twin Hills, Alaska, United States | Bristol Bay Lodge | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2023 | De Havilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A) | Point Baker, Alaska, United States | Seawind Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 2022 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Egegik, Alaska, United States | Branch River Air Service Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 2022 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Gilbert, South Carolina, United States | Out There Outfitters | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 2021 | De Havilland DHC-2-L-20 | Coffman Cove, Alaska, United States | Southeast Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2025 | De Havilland DHC-2 MK. 1 | St Theresa, Canada | - | Fatal | 4 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 May 2023 | Robinson R44 II | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Willow Creek Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 May 2023 | Maule M-7-235 | Soldotna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2023 | Dennis D Downs CCK-1865 | Sterling, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 2023 | Cessna 185 | Iliamna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2023 | Piper PA-22 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2023 | Piper PA-18-150 | Bethel, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |