Amateur-built DHC-3 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, July 28, 2005
On July 28, 2005 at about 8:55 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-3, registered N6868B, suffered minor damage in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured; 10 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An electrical arc on the exterior of a fuel pressure line that initiated a fuel leak and fire during cruise flight, which resulted in serious injuries to the pilot as he performed an emergency landing on the water. A factor contributing to the accident was an inadequate annual inspection of the airplane by company maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2005 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 10 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-3
- Registration
- N6868B · registry record · serial 274
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) local area sightseeing flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, in a float-equipped airplane. During cruise flight, a flash fire erupted near the windshield/glare shield area of the cockpit, in front of the pilot. The pilot made an emergency landing, and a passenger assisted by utilizing a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The airplane received minor damage, but the pilot received second-degree burns to his hands. The airplane was manufactured in 1958, and had accrued 3,742 hours on the airframe, and 6.4 hours since the last annual inspection when a 1,000 hp engine was installed. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a pin-size hole in an aluminum fuel pressure bourbon line, utilized as a fixed line between the engine firewall, and an airframe longitudinal former, behind the instrument panel. The bourbon line is located between flexible fuel pressure lines from the engine to the firewall, and from the airframe former to the backside of the fuel pressure gauge. An examination of the line at the NTSB Materials Laboratory revealed a circular-shaped hole about 3 inches from the firewall end of the line. A longitudinal cut was made through the hole which revealed blue and brown tinting, and evidence of metal flow typical of re-solidification. The features of the hole were consistent with heat damage from electrical arcing. The wall of the tube had no evidence of corrosion.
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; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,251 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 101 in the last 30 days; 13,666 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,742 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005; 6.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalis ASZ-62IR-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Promech Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 5KE Ketchikan AK at 2:25 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 155° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PAKT, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 10 |
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.