20160826017509I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 · Naknek, AK · August 26, 2016

Date: August 26, 2016 · 16:45 local
Place: Naknek, AK
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: T52C
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N698TK
Reported as: Dehavilland Beaver DHC-2
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 series
People aboard: 7
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 565 in this make and model230 in the last 90 days

N698TKRegistered now · Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2S/N 262 Airframe modelDehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 Engine modelPratt & Whitney R-985 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot chose to taxi on empty tank and then switch to full tank on takeoff. Another aircraft distracted him during his ck list and he forgot to switch back to the full tank for takeoff. This distraction as well as the unwise decision to switch to the aft tank for the long taxi, was what led to fuel starvation within an estimated 5 to 7 seconds after takeoff. The plane landed hard on the water and slid into a swamp. Pilot switched tanks while landing and the engine started again but too late. Limited damage to the right wing tip and floats.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT CHOSE TO TAXI ON EMPTY TANK AND THEN SWITCH TO FULL TANK ON TAKEOFF. ANOTHER AIRCRAFT DISTRACTED HIM DURING HIS CK LIST AND HE FORGOT TO SWITCH BACK TO THE FULL TANK FOR TAKEOFF. THIS DISTRACTION AS WELL AS THE UNWISE DECISION TO SWITCH TO THE AFT TANK FOR THE LONG TAXI, WAS WHAT LED TO FUEL STARVATION WITHIN AN ESTIMATED 5 TO 7 SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PLANE LANDED HARD ON THE WATER AND SLID INTO A SWAMP. PILOT SWITCHED TANKS WHILE LANDING AND THE ENGINE STARTED AGAIN BUT TOO LATE. LIMITED DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING TIP AND FLOATS.