De Havilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1 N454FU

Summary

On 22 April 2023 at about 20:45 local time, a De Havilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1 registered N454FU was involved in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska, United States. 5 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

22 April 2023 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Soldotna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Soldotna Airport (SXQ)

Coordinates

60.4755, -151.0434

Aircraft

De Havilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1

Registration

N454FU

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Polly Creek → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC23LA030

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in the main landing gear wheels breaking through the snow and the airplane nosing over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, to avoid excessive wear on the airplane’s Bushwheels, he decided to not land on the paved runway and instead he landed on the snow-covered gravel runway. During landing, the airplane decelerated rapidly as the main wheels touched down into the snow. The airplane subsequently nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the right-wing lift struts and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.