- Date
- July 7, 2012, 19:06 local (Jul 8, 2012, 03:06 UTC)
- Place
- Cantwell, AK
- Injuries
- 8 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N906JSDehavilland DHC-2
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 26, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Anchorage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120707013359A
- Case key
- 84254
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The right seat passenger’s inadvertent contact with the emergency fuel shutoff valve, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to provide a thorough preflight briefing to the passenger seated in the cockpit.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that during cruise flight, the engine suddenly lost all power. He attempted to restart the engine but was unable and elected to make a forced landing in a bog. During the landing, the left wing and right elevator stuck trees, sustaining substantial damage. After the forced landing, the pilot noticed that the emergency fuel shutoff lever on the right side of the center console had been moved toward the shutoff position. The passenger who was seated in the right seat of the cockpit stated that he was unaware of the fuel shutoff lever and was not briefed on specific areas to be aware of in the cockpit but that he had been adjusting himself in the seat just prior to the engine shutting down.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that during normal cruise flight the engine suddenly lost all power. He attempted to restart the engine, but was unable, and elected to make a forced landing in a bog. During the landing, the left wing and right elevator stuck trees, and sustained substantial damage. After the forced landing, the pilot noticed that the emergency fuel shutoff lever on the right side of the center console had been moved toward the shutoff position. The passenger that was seated in the right seat of the cockpit stated that we was unaware of the fuel shutoff lever, and was not briefed on specific areas to be aware of in the cockpit, but that he had been adjusting himself in the seat just prior to the engine shutting down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N906JS
- Reported as
- Dehavilland DHC-2
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1659 TB34
- Airframe hours
- 7,909
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20A, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Fly Denali, Inc
- Registered owner
- N906js LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 26, 2012 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- HRR · Healy, AK
- Destination
- HRR · Healy, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 18, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,457 total · 46 in this make and model · 1,234 as pilot in command · 159 in the last 90 days · 103 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- PATK, 45 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N906JS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.