- Date
- September 2, 1989, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sheenjek River, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N17689de Havilland DHC-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890902033329A
- Case key
- 5252
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
Failure of the pilot to go around when he was unable to attain the proper touchdown point and his excessive application of brakes during the landing. Contributing factors were: the downdraft, excessive remedial action, and soft terrain.
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.
Analysis
The plt rprtd that as the acft was on a short final apch to land on a gravel bar, it encountered a downdraft. To avoid contacting the water, he corrected with elevator control & power, but the acft gained more altitude than he desired. Subsequently, it touched down on the gravel bar beyond the intended touchdown point. As the plt was applying heavy braking to stop on the gravel bar, the wheels dug into the sandy terrain & the acft nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17689
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4-31
- Airframe hours
- 7,000
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-59, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wright Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 22, 1989 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- Sheenjek River, AK
- Flight plan
- 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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 6,800 as pilot in command · 350 in the last 90 days · 127 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F
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 N17689 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.