- Date
- August 9, 2025, 09:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Soldotna, AK
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N232KTDehavilland DHC-2 MK 1
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250809010959A
- Case key
- 200744
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 pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from rising terrain while maneuvering at low altitude.
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
While en route to a remote fishing lodge in a float-equipped airplane, one of the passengers reported that the pilot saw a pack of wolves chasing a herd of caribou. The passenger said that the pilot then reduced the airspeed and entered a right-hand, descending orbit to allow all the passengers to see the animals below. The pilot reported that, during a right-hand turn, the airspeed was indicating about 75 knots and the airplane’s altitude was about 500 ft above ground level (agl), when the airplane encountered a downdraft and it began to descend. He added engine power and attempted to climb, but he realized he was not going to be able to clear the rising terrain ahead and performed a forced landing to an area of rock and tundra-covered terrain. During the forced landing, the airplane’s float struts and spreaderbars collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage. A review of archived Federal Aviation Administration Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane entered the orbits at 300 feet agl and the groundspeed was about 80 knots. As the airplane exited the multiple orbits, it was about 97 feet agl, while traveling at 58 knots groundspeed. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N232KT
- Reported as
- Dehavilland DHC-2 MK 1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 52
- Built
- 1948
- Airframe hours
- 29,987.1
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Rust's Flying Service, Inc
- Registered owner
- Rust Air, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 28, 2025 · 52.5 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Tutka Bay, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- NONE
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 4, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,700 total · 335 in this make and model · 2,400 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 200 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.72 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- PASX, 26 nm away
- METAR
- PASX 091556Z AUTO 10004KT 10SM OVC070 11/09 A2972 RMK AO2 SLP068 T01110094 TSNO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 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.