Amateur-built DHC-6-200 accident near Kipnuk, Alaska, January 21, 2003
On January 21, 2003 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-6-200, registered N206EH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kipnuk, Alaska (Kipnuk airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The captain's inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll on an icy runway, which resulted in an excursion from the runway and collision with a snow berm. Contributing factors in the accident are a crosswind, an icy runway, and a snow berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2003 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kipnuk, Alaska · Kipnuk · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-6-200
- Registration
- N206EH · registry record · serial 194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The air carrier passenger flight was landing on an icy, 2,120 feet long, by 35 feet wide, gravel runway with nearly a direct crosswind from the right at 15 to 20 knots. During the landing roll, at the captain's directions, the first officer fully deflected the ailerons into the wind, while the captain, the designated flying pilot, manipulated the remaining flight controls and power to the engines. The airplane drifted to the left, despite the captain's efforts, and encountered a snow berm alongside the runway. The airplane was pulled to the left, and off the runway into deeper snow, collapsing the nose gear and receiving substantial damage to the fuselage directly aft of the nose gear. The captain noted in his written report to the NTSB that he believed the nose wheel steering did not turn fully to the right as he attempted to maintain directional control during the landing roll. He stated that the nose wheel steering mechanism may have had a mechanical failure. A review of the airplane's maintenance and flight discrepancy logs failed to disclose any preaccident mechanical problems with the nose wheel steering assembly. Postaccident inspection, bench testing, and disassembly of the nose wheel steering actuator, did not reveal any significant operational problems that would have precluded the nose wheel actuator from functioning. Postaccident interviews with the first officer on the accident flight, and the captain who had flown the accident airplane the day before the accident flight, indicated that they were unaware of any difficulties with the nose wheel steering. The first officer noted that the captain did not seem to utilize the rudders quickly enough, or aggressively enough, to maintain directional control during the landing roll, and relied too much on the nose wheel steering. A company captain who flew repair parts to the airplane at the accident site, reported that he walked the runway several times, looking at the accident airplane's path on the runway. He stated that it appeared to him the accident airplane's nose wheel had been turned fully to the right, and had skidded on the icy runway.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 166 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 23, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 31, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 46,564 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 10, 2003; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,579 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT-6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 1:20 pm
- Destination: PAKI Kipnuk AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 2,120 ft by 35 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC03LA024.