- Date
- March 12, 1985, 00:15 local (04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Barter Island, AK
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N540Nde Havilland DHC-6-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850312006599A
- Case key
- 4400
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - snow coveredFactor
Flight manuals - not followedCause
Overconfidence in aircraft's abilityFactor
Inadequate surveillance of operationFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Weather evaluation - inaccurateFactor
Company-induced pressureFactor
Inadequate surveillance of operationFactor
Light condition - dark nightFactor
In-flight planning/decision - poorFactor
ExpectancyFactor
Insuff standards/requirements,operation/operatorFactor
Light condition - dark nightFactor
Weather evaluation - inaccurateFactor
Fatigue(flight and ground schedule)Factor
Weather condition - icing conditionsCause
Flight into known adverse weather - intentionalFactor
Fatigue(flight and ground schedule)
Wing - iceFactor
Anti-ice/deice system - not usedFactor
Altitude - inadequateCause
Analysis
Acft crashed during missed apch to temporary winter landing strip. Acft hit in steep nose down attitude. Marginal wx conditions prevailed, with icing reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N540N
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-6-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401
- Airframe hours
- 13,652
- Engine
- P&W PT6-27, 620 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Sea Alaska Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 5, 1985 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- SCC · Deadhorse, AK
- Airport
- Strip 1186, runway 7, 1,400 × 75 ft, snow
N540NRegistration cancelled Aug 4, 2011 · Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTERAirframe modelDehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTEREngine modelU/A Canada PT6A-27-28
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,311 total · 2,098 in this make and model · 4,604 as pilot in command · 167 in the last 90 days · 51 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 20° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft
- Temperature
- 30 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.