Rockwell 690B N690AX

Summary

On 3 July 2025 at about 23:00 local time, a Rockwell 690B registered N690AX, operated by Clearwater Air Inc, was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, 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.

Date

3 July 2025 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Ladd Army Airfield (FBK)

Coordinates

64.8376, -147.6147

Aircraft

Rockwell 690B

Registration

N690AX

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

2

Operator

Clearwater Air Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairbanks → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25LA067

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control during takeoff resulting in a gear-up landing on the runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s momentary distraction from within the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported that the pilot taxied out on to the runway, and upon receiving a takeoff clearance, began the takeoff roll. As the airplane rotated and began to climb, the pilot retracted the landing gear, subsequently, a gallon jug of water slid to the back of the airplane and impacted the aft cabin bulkhead, making a loud “bang” sound. The pilot looked back towards the noise to assess the nature of the sound and inadvertently allowed the airplane to descend and contact the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.