- Date
- January 15, 1989, 08:10 local (12:10 UTC)
- Place
- Ketchikan, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N11250de Havilland DHC-3
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890115000439A
- Case key
- 40910
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 inadvertant flight into IFR conditions and the stall which occurred during the turn to reverse course. Contributing to the accident were the snow conditions encountered.
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
After departing the floatplane base on a company VFR flight plan, the scheduled commuter flight proceeded northwest along a salt water strait at a low altitude above water. Two miles nw of the arpt the acft entered a snow squall and the pilot attempted a steep turn to reverse course. During the turn the aircraft impacted and sank in 167 ft deep water. Search and rescue efforts were suspended after 4 days.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11250
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 171
- Airframe hours
- 10,366
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-59, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Temsco Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 23, 1988 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- 5KE · Ketchikan, AK
- Destination
- 9Z0 · Klawock, 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,470 total · 150 in this make and model · 1,450 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KTN, 1 nm away
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 N11250 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.