# NTSB ANC00LA091: de Havilland DHC-2, N345KA, Big Lake, AK, July 17, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 17, 2000, 08:45 local (16:45 UTC) - Place: Big Lake, AK - Coordinates: 61.459003, -150.089309 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.4590&lon=-150.0893&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 2, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 50973 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA091 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50973/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA091 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions. A factor associated with the accident was a crosswind. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - roll/run - terrain condition - water - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water collision with object, takeoff - roll/run - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot stated he lost directional control of the float equipped airplane during the initial takeoff run. He indicated the airplane was just coming up on step, and he was taking off upstream, with an eight knot quartering tailwind from the left. He said the airplane swerved left, and the left wing struck a tree on the river bank. ## Factual narrative On July 17, 2000, about 0845 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped DeHavilland DHC-2 airplane, N345KA, sustained substantial damage during takeoff when it collided with a tree on Alexander Creek, about 15 miles west of Big Lake, Alaska, at 61 degrees, 36 minutes north latitude, 150 degrees, 40 minutes west longitude. The solo airline transport pilot was not injured. The positioning flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, by Ketchum Air Service, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. The flight was returning to Lake Hood Seaplane Base, Anchorage, after dropping passengers at the company lodge on Alexander Creek. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a company VFR flight plan was filed. During a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on July 20, the pilot stated he lost directional control of the airplane during the initial takeoff run. He indicated the airplane was just coming up on step, and he was taking off upstream, with an eight knot quartering tailwind from the left. He said the airplane swerved left, and the left wing struck a tree on the river bank. Postaccident inspection of the airplane by the NTSB investigator-in-charge on July 18, revealed the first rib inboard of the landing light was crushed aft to the left wing main spar. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N345KA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N345KA-2012-03-28), registration cancelled 2012-03-28, S/N 1306, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: de Havilland DHC-2 - Registry model: [Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1](https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-beaver-dhc-2-mk-1) (registry code 2800102) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R-985 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r-985-series) (registry code 52008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1306 - Airframe hours: 18893 - Engines: P&W R-985 450 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Positioning, Part 91 - Operator: Ketchum Air Service, Inc. - Registered owner: Ketchum Air Leasing, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 4, 2000, 50 hours before - Destination: LHD, ANCHORAGE, AK - Flight plan: Company VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 28; airline transport, commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 3,320 total, 110 in this make and model, 3,170 as pilot in command, 300 in the last 90 days, 120 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 140° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,000 ft broken - Temperature: 55 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000717042209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000717042209A), Jul 17, 2000: Dhav DHC2MK1, Anchorage, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) On July 17, 2000, the PIC flying a float equipped DHC-2, attempted a takeoff from the alexander river creek. The aircraft had no passengers or cargo… ## Other investigations on N345KA (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 ANC07MA083](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC07MA083), Aug 17, 2007: de Havilland DHC-2 (N345KA), Ketchikan, AK, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: An inadvertent aerodynamic stall resulting from the pilot's poor decision-making and inadequate planning and execution when he took off toward nearby rising terrain, in strong winds, under… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.