Amateur-built DHC-3 accident near Tenakee Springs, Alaska, September 4, 2002
On September 4, 2002 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-3, registered N335AK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tenakee Springs, Alaska (Tenakee Springs Seaplane Base airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of the airplane's speed/distance from a dock resulting in the airplane drifting into a wooden piling during a taxi from landing. A factor in the accident was the presence of a tidal current.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2002 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tenakee Springs, Alaska · Tenakee Springs Seaplane Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-3
- Registration
- N335AK · registry record · serial 263
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was taxiing an amphibious float-equipped airplane to a seaplane dock after landing on a scheduled air taxi flight. The pilot shut-off the engine as the airplane approached the dock. A tidal current carried the airplane beyond the intended docking area, and the airplane drifted backward into a wooden piling. The operator reported that the left aileron was removed for repair. A 37-inch portion of the aileron trailing edge was replaced.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 4,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 14, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,092 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 9, 2002; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Juneau Aeronautics INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PAJN Juneau AK at 11:10 am
- Destination: TKE Tenakee Springs AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.