Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, April 18, 2007
On April 18, 2007, a amateur-built DHC-2, registered N93V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 improper installation/reversal of the aileron flight control system by other maintenance personnel, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of control during takeoff initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 2007
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2
- Registration
- N93V · registry record · serial 1403
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a rebuild of the accident airplane, the pilot and the mechanic who rebuilt the airplane conducted a preflight inspection, to include a check of the flight controls, and were satisfied that the airplane appeared airworthy. During the takeoff-initial climb, the airplane was about 150 feet agl at 70 mph airspeed when it suddenly rolled about 90 degrees to the right. The pilot applied left aileron and left rudder control, but the airplane did not respond. He retarded the engine power to idle and pushed forward on the control yoke to maintain airspeed. The airplane's right wing struck the runway and the pilot applied full engine power. The left wing struck the ground, and the airplane landed hard on the main landing gear. The airplane then departed the runway area and collided with a ditch. A postaccident examination of the airplane and flight controls revealed that the chain control linkage, within the control yoke, was misrouted at the base of the control column, thereby reversing the aileron activation. Standard preflight inspection protocols for fixed-wing aircraft require that the pilot ensure that the ailerons deflect in the proper direction when the control yoke is moved to the left and right roll positions.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,760 hours in all; 970 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,641 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PANC Anchorage AK at 7:17 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 11,584 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 7:32 pm from PANC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N93V 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.