Dehavilland DHC-2 accident near Igiugig, Alaska, September 7, 2005
On September 7, 2005 at about 2:00 am local time, a Dehavilland DHC-2, registered N199BM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Igiugig, Alaska. It was a positioning 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff run when he was unable to lift one float off the water, which resulted in a subsequent collision with terrain. A factor contributing to the accident was a river bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2005 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Igiugig, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-2 · all DHC-2s on the register
- Registration
- N199BM · registry record · serial 589
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot was departing eastbound, and up-river in a float-equipped airplane. He said the airplane was on-step, and he attempted to lift one float out of the water during the takeoff run, but was unsuccessful. He then decided to abort the takeoff by closing the engine throttle, and the airplane collided with the river bank. The left float assembly was torn off the fuselage, and the airplane received structural damage to the 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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 22,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Igiugig AK
- Destination: IGG Igiugig 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 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC05CA137.