- Date
- April 19, 1989, 13:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pelican, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N62873de Havilland DHC-2
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890419009439A
- Case key
- 40917
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
Improper in-flight decision by the pilot, and his inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The terrain and weather conditions were considered to be factors.
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
Drg a flt from juneau to Pelican, AK, the acft collided with terrain aprx 12 mi east of Pelican while crossing over chichagof island. Impact occurred on a vertical rock wall at an elevation of about 1950 ft. no preimpact part failure or malfunction of the acft was evident. Another plt, who had planned to fly the same route about 1 hr & 45 min earlier, decided to fly around the island due to low clouds, rain & fog in the area. He rprtd that he flew over icy straits rather than take a more direct route & that ceilings were about 2000 ft broken with lower stratus in the valleys. A helicopter plt said he was unable to work in mountain passes in the vicinity of the acdnt due to low clouds, rain & fog; he also said the passes were 'socked in.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62873
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-2
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 323
- Airframe hours
- 18,800
- Engine
- P&W R-985-AN1-4B, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Channel Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Channel Flying, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 12, 1989 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- JNU · Juneau, AK
- Destination
- PEC · Pelican, 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
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,800 total · 460 in this make and model · 4,753 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 13 knots
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JNU, 25 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.