Douglas C54G-DC accident near Nenana, Alaska, January 17, 2007
On January 17, 2007 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Douglas C54G-DC, registered N82FA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nenana, Alaska. It was an other work-use flight under large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of an engine cylinder during cruise flight, which resulted in an in-flight fire, and subsequent emergency gear-up landing on snow-covered tundra. A factor in the accident was the failure of the fire suppression equipment to extinguish the fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 2007 · about 7:50 pm local time · cases in 2007
- Place
- Nenana, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas C54G-DC · all C54G-DCs on the register
- Registration
- N82FA · no longer on the register · serial 35906
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew was delivering a cargo of fuel in the four-engine airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 125, when the airplane lost power in the number 2 engine. The captain elected to shut the engine down and return to the airport. He said during the shutdown procedure, the engine caught fire, and that the fire extinguishing system was activated. The crew thought the fire was out, but it erupted again, and the captain elected to land the airplane gear-up on the snow-covered tundra. Once on the ground, the left wing was consumed by fire. An inspection by company maintenance personnel revealed that an overhauled engine cylinder had failed at its base, resulting in a fire. The airplane was not examined by the NTSB due to its remote location.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,750 hours in all; 1,550 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 796 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 653 as pilot in command; 431 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28,933 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 66,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-2000-7M2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAFA Fairbanks AK at 7:30 pm
- Destination: Nixon Fork Mine AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: -2°F (-19°C), dew point -6°F (-21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PANN, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N82FA: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Douglas C-54 7 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Douglas 305 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-2000-7M2 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Fairbanks International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC07LA016.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.