- Date
- July 26, 1984, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ketchikan, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 4 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4787Cde Havilland Beaver DHC-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840726053089A
- Case key
- 39819
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.
Analysis
The plt flew into a canyon with a climb-out gradient in excess of the acft capability and collided with the upsloping terrain. The plt said he had hit a downdraft and turned away from the rising terrain just as collision occurred. Surviving passengers do not recall any turbulence or sinking sensation before the crash. The plt did not report any turbulence or downdrafts anywhere except at the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4787C
- Reported as
- de Havilland Beaver DHC-2 (BEAVER DHC)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1330
- Airframe hours
- 168
- Engine
- P&W R-985-AN-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pro Mech, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 7, 1984 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- AK78 · Yes Bay, AK
- Destination
- 5KE · Ketchikan, AK
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
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,586 total · 1,510 in this make and model · 3,359 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KTN
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 N4787C · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.