# NTSB ANC06LA103: de Havilland DHC-3, N93356, Juneau, AK, July 31, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 31, 2006, 11:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Juneau, AK - Coordinates: 58.79111, -134.982498 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=58.7911&lon=-134.9825&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 3 minor, 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 31, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Juneau, FSDO-05 - NTSB case key (mKey): 64244 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC06LA103 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/64244/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC06LA103 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance during approach, which resulted in the airplane impacting the surface of the water. Factors associated with the accident were the flat-light and glassy water conditions, which affected the pilot's ability to see the surface of the water. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, approach - vfr pattern - base leg/base to final - terrain condition - water,glassy (contributing factor) - visual/aural perception, pilot in command (contributing factor) - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - light condition - other (contributing factor) ## Analysis The commercial pilot was transporting passengers in a float-equipped airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when it collided with the surface of the water during landing. The pilot reported that he was in a descending right turn in preparation for landing, and was looking for shoreline dock as a landing reference. Prior to seeing the dock, the airplane struck the water. The left rear seat passenger said he wasn't aware the airplane was landing, and thought they were still making the approach when the airplane impacted the water. A witness who watched the accident from the ground, said there was fog and low clouds in the area, and that surface visibility was about 1 mile. The witness said as the airplane descended, he thought, " If he doesn't pull up, he's going to hit the water." The witness said the right float and wing hit the water in a right turn, and that he never heard the airplane reduce power, or saw the airplane level off before impact. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident, and said in his written statement to the NTSB that glassy water, and flat-light conditions made it difficult to discern the surface of the water. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and fuselage. ## Factual narrative On July 31, 2006, about 1130 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped, de Havilland DHC-3 airplane, N93356, sustained substantial damage when it collided with the surface of the water during landing at Berners Bay, about 60 miles north-northwest of Juneau, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Ward Air, Inc., Juneau, as a visual flight rules (VFR) on-demand passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135 when the accident occurred. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. Three additional passengers received minor injuries, and one passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The airplane departed Juneau about 1110. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 1, the director of operations for the operator said the float-equipped airplane was delivering passengers to Berners Bay. He said the pilot told him he had made a hard landing, and that one of the floats had separated from the airplane. He said the pilot told him the fuselage had filled with water, but the passengers escaped with only minor injuries. On August 3, the left rear seat passenger told the NTSB IIC in a telephone interview that he wasn't aware the airplane was landing, and that the airplane was in a nose low, right-banked turn when it struck the water. He stated he was used to flying in float planes, although he had never flown in the same type as the accident airplane, and expected to see the pilot "pump down the flaps, slow down, and level off prior to landing." He reported he thought they were still making the approach. He said his leg and hand were broken during the accident, and that he felt his injuries were due to being struck by unrestrained cargo stacked inside the aft fuselage door. He indicated the fuselage filled with water from the front, and passengers had to scramble over cargo piled at the aft doorway to escape. During a telephone conversation with the IIC on August 8, a witness who watched the accident from the ground, said there was fog and low clouds in the area, and that the surface visibility was about 1 mile at the time of the accident. He said he watched the accident airplane circle overhead, and presumed he was waiting for an airplane already at the dock to leave and make room. The witness said as the airplane circled, it descended, and he said he thought to himself, " If he doesn't pull up he's going to hit the water." The witness said the right float and wing hit the water in a right-banked turn, and that he never heard the airplane reduce power, or saw the airplane level off before the impact. In a written statement dated August 2, the pilot wrote that at the time of the accident, there was a 2500 foot overcast with 5 miles visibility in rain, and that the rains had turned the glassy water in the cove a milky color. He also reported flat-light conditions. He reported that he was in a descending right base leg turn looking for the dock as a reference to roll out on final. He wrote that before he was able to see the dock, the airplane impacted the water. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N93356](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N93356), registered now, S/N 144, built 1955 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: de Havilland DHC-3 - Registry model: [Dehavilland DHC-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-dhc-3) (registry code 2802412) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R1340 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (registry code 52016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 144 - Airframe hours: 20040 - Engines: Honeywell TPE-331-10 900 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 135 - Operator: Ward Air Inc - Registered owner: RED Leasing - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, July 1, 2006, 1 hours before - Departed: 5Z1, Juneau, AK - Destination: Berners Bay, AK - Flight plan: Company VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 34; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review May 1, 2006; seat: left; flight hours: 7,200 total, 100 in this make and model, 7,100 as pilot in command, 300 in the last 90 days, 90 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 5 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,500 ft overcast - Temperature: 57 °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 20060731020639A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060731020639A), Jul 31, 2006: Dhav DHC3, Slatecreekcove, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) On July 31, 2006, about 1130 hours Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped, de havilland DHC-3-T airplane, N93356 sustained substantial damage when it… 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.