Beech C-99 accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, August 18, 2000
On August 18, 2000 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Beech C-99, registered N995SB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deadhorse, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2000 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-99 · all C-99s on the register
- Registration
- N995SB · registry record · serial D179
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain of the twin engine turboprop airplane reported that about 25 minutes after departure, while in cruise, level flight, he saw a flock of four ducks pass from right to left in front of the airplane. He said that he tried to avoid the flock, but was unable to avoid a collision. He continued to his intended destination, which was the closest airport, and landed the airplane without difficulty. A postlanding inspection of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left side of the fuselage, forward bulkhead, and radome.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 4,300 in this make and model; 390 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 13,900 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 11,300 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6-36 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCC AK at 5:38 pm
- Destination: 10AK Nuiqsut AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.