# NTSB ANC03CA088: de Havilland DHC-2, N930TG, Iliamna, AK, June 25, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: June 25, 2003, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Iliamna, AK - Coordinates: 59.756389, -154.901672 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=59.7564&lon=-154.9017&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 57647 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC03CA088 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57647/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC03CA088 ## Probable cause The pilot's incorrect selection of the fuel selector valve position during takeoff which resulted in fuel starvation. A factor associated with the accident was inadequate transition training provided to the pilot by the company/operator management. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, takeoff - initial climb - fuel tank selector position - incorrect, pilot in command (cause) - inadequate transition/upgrade training, company/operator management (contributing factor) - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing after takeoff - terrain condition - roadway/highway ## Analysis The solo commercial certificated pilot was departing from a remote lake in a float-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that this was the first time he had been assigned to fly the accident airplane, and that the airplane's main fuel valve was different than that of any other DHC-2 he had previously flown. Prior to takeoff, he placed the fuel selector valve in the "up" position, believing he had selected the center fuel tank. Just after takeoff, as the airplane climbed to about 30 feet above the water, the engine lost all power, and the airplane descended and struck a gravel-covered road at the departure end of the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot noted that a postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that when he placed the fuel valve in the "up" position, he inadvertently selected the "off" position. The pilot added that the operator did not inform him of the differences associated with the accident airplane's fuel valve. ## Factual narrative On June 25, 2003, about 1530 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 airplane, N930TG, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a gravel-covered road following a loss of engine power on takeoff from a lake located adjacent to the Iliaska Lodge, Iliamna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Iliaska Lodge as a visual flight rules (VFR) business flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo commercial certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan was in effect. The flight originated at the accident lake, about 1525. During a telephone conversation with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator on August 4, the pilot reported that he was positioning the airplane in order to pick up a group of passengers who were clients of Iliaska Lodge. He said that this was the first time he had been assigned to fly the accident airplane, and that the airplane's main fuel valve was different than that of any other DHC-2 he had previously flown. The pilot stated that prior to takeoff, he placed the fuel selector valve in the "up" position, believing he had selected the center fuel tank. Just after takeoff, as the airplane climbed to about 30 feet above the water, the engine lost all power, and the airplane descended and struck a gravel-covered road at the departure end of the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot noted that a postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that when he placed the fuel valve in the "up" position, he inadvertently selected the "off" position. The pilot added that the operator did not inform him of the differences associated with the accident airplane's fuel valve. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N930TG](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N930TG-2020-05-29), registration cancelled 2020-05-29, S/N 1041, built 1957 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: de Havilland DHC-2 - Registry model: [Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)](https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-dhc-2-mk-i-l20a) (registry code 2808002) (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: 1041 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney 985 450 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Registered owner: Iliaska Lodge - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: ILI, Iliamna, AK - Destination: ILI, Iliamna, AK - Flight plan: VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 4,470 total, 1,100 in this make and model, 4,320 as pilot in command, 37 in the last 90 days, 19 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day ## Other investigations on N930TG (2) 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 ANC17LA032](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC17LA032), Jun 18, 2017: Dehavilland DHC-2 (N930TG), Ketchikan, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's misjudgment of the takeoff distance needed to depart the lake, and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from the water during a turn to avoid terrain, which resulted in impact… - [NTSB ANC99LA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA124), Aug 25, 1999: de Havilland DHC-2 (N930TG), Iliamna, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area, and an inadvertent stall. Factors associated with the accident were large wave/swells, and low light conditions (dawn). 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.