Cessna 402C accident near Huslia, Alaska, August 5, 2004
On August 5, 2004, a Cessna 402C, registered N300SN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huslia, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 failure to extend the landing gear, which resulted in an inadvertent wheels up landing. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's diverted attention.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2004
- Place
- Huslia, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N300SN · no longer on the register · serial 402C0060
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo commercial air taxi pilot entered the airport area intending to land on one runway, but elected to change to the opposite end. The pilot reported that he was watching a departing airplane, and had placed his hand on the landing gear handle, but forgot to extend the landing gear, and landed gear-up. The airplane received structural damage to the lower fuselage.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,115 hours in all; 4,750 in this make and model; 279 in the last 90 days; 176 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Circle Air Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Destination: PAHL Huslia AK
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 N300SN 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.
