- Date
- May 23, 1992, 16:20 local (May 24, 1992, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Alexander Creek, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4478De Havilland DHC-2-T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920523019479A
- Case key
- 5728
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 inadvertent deactivation of the engine's fuel supply by switching off the fuel shut off. Factor related to the accident was the soft mud in the forced landing area.
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 pilot stated he wanted to turn on the cabin heat so he reached down and pulled a handle without looking at which handle he was pulling. He inadvertently shut off the fuel shut off. The cabin heat handle and the emergency fuel shut off are located on the center pedestal, behind the vertical column of the control yoke, about 8 inches apart. Each has a different shaped handle and each is placarded with a different colored placard. The fuel shut off was safety wired to the on position. The airplane was equipped with amphibious floats. The tide in cook inlet was receding and the pilot elected to land on the mud flats. The float braces collapsed upon landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4478
- Reported as
- De Havilland DHC-2-T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1653-TB30
- Airframe hours
- 5,470
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-6A, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bryan Bergt
- Registered owner
- Markair Express
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 15, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- ANC · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- DLG · Dillingham, 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,641 total · 260 in this make and model · 769 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 81 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 90 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- 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 N4478 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.