Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Iliamna, Alaska, June 25, 2003
On June 25, 2003 at about 11:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2, registered N930TG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's incorrect selection of the fuel selector valve position during takeoff which resulted in fuel starvation. A factor associated with the accident was inadequate transition training provided to the pilot by the company/operator management.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2003 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2
- Registration
- N930TG · no longer on the register · serial 1041
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo commercial certificated pilot was departing from a remote lake in a float-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that this was the first time he had been assigned to fly the accident airplane, and that the airplane's main fuel valve was different than that of any other DHC-2 he had previously flown. Prior to takeoff, he placed the fuel selector valve in the "up" position, believing he had selected the center fuel tank. Just after takeoff, as the airplane climbed to about 30 feet above the water, the engine lost all power, and the airplane descended and struck a gravel-covered road at the departure end of the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot noted that a postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that when he placed the fuel valve in the "up" position, he inadvertently selected the "off" position. The pilot added that the operator did not inform him of the differences associated with the accident airplane's fuel valve.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,470 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 4,320 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 5,090 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ILI Iliamna AK at 6:30 pm
- Destination: ILI Iliamna AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N930TG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.