# Accident 20190513016771A: Dehavilland DHC-3, Ketchikan, AK, May 13, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 13, 2019, 12:21 local time
- Place: Ketchikan, AK
- Airport: Ketchikan International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Collision: Midair collision
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: TQ0A
- Location: 55.4256° N, 131.5050° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=55.4256&lon=-131.5050&mi=10
- Aircraft: N959PA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N959PA-2021-07-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Dehavilland DHC-3 (registry code 2802412, https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-dhc-3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series (registry code 52016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DEHAVILLAND DHC-3
- Reported engine: P&W PT-6A-34
- People aboard: 11
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 10
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 25,000 total, 25 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19MA141](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19MA141) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190513016771A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

?	ON MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 1221 PM ADT, TWO DE HAVILLAND FLOATPLANES COLLIDED EIGHT MILES NORTHEAST OF KETCHIKAN, ALASKA (GEORGE INLET) AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 3350 FEET. THE FIRST AIRCRAFT (#1), N952DB, A DE HAVILLAND DHC-2 ?BEAVER? WAS OPERATED BY MOUNTAIN AIR SERVICE -  CARRYING ONE PILOT AND FOUR PASSENGERS.  THE SECOND AIRCRAFT (#2), N959PA, A DE HAVILLAND DHC-3 ?OTTER? WAS OPERATED BY TAQUAN AIR - CARRYING ONE PILOT AND TEN PASSENGERS.  BOTH FLIGHTS WERE OPERATING UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF PART 135.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

?	THE U.S. COAST GUARD RESPONDED WITH ONE HELICOPTER AND TWO USCG VESSELS.  ALL FIVE PERSONS ON BOARD AIRCRAFT #1 WERE CONFIRMED FATALITIES (REFERENCE GRAPHIC ON NEXT PAGE).  TEN PERSONS ON BOARD AIRCRAFT #2 WERE RESCUED AND TRANSPORTED TO LOCAL HOSPITALS.  ONE PERSON REMAINS MISSING FROM AIRCRAFT #2.  ALL 14 PASSENGERS ARE GUESTS FROM THE CRUISE SHIP ROYAL PRINCESS.

THIS RECORD MAY BE AMENDED AT A FUTURE DATE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN19MA141](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19MA141), May 13, 2019: De Havilland DHC-3 (N959PA), Ketchikan, AK, substantial damage, 6 fatal. 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…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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