Dehavilland DHC-3 accident near Aleknagik, Alaska, August 9, 2010
On August 9, 2010 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Dehavilland DHC-3, registered N455A, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Aleknagik, Alaska. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed and 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's temporary unresponsiveness for reasons that could not be established from the available information. Contributing to the investigation's inability to determine exactly what occurred in the final minutes of the flight was the lack of a cockpit recorder system with the ability to capture audio, images, and parametric data.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2010 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Aleknagik, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-3 · all DHC-3s on the register
- Registration
- N455A · no longer on the register · serial 206
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11/03. On August 9, 2010, about 1442 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine powered, amphibious float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3T airplane, N455A, impacted mountainous, tree-covered terrain about 10 nautical miles (nm) northeast of Aleknagik, Alaska. The airline transport pilot and four passengers received fatal injuries, and four passengers received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage, including deformation and breaching of the fuselage. The flight was operated by GCI Communication Corp. (GCI), of Anchorage, Alaska, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. About the time of the accident, meteorological conditions that met the criteria for marginal visual flight rules were reported at Dillingham Airport, Dillingham, Alaska, about 18 nm south of the accident site. No flight plan was filed. The flight departed about 1427 from a GCI-owned private lodge on the shore of Lake Nerka and was en route to a remote sport fishing camp about 52 nm southeast on the Nushagak River.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › (general) › (general) › Pilot
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Indicating/recording systems › Data recorders (flight/maint) › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Emergency locator beacon › Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Meteorological services › Meteo equip coverage/avail › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Emergency equipment › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honeywell TPE 331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: General Communication Corporation (Gci)
The flight
- Departed from: Aleknagik AK at 5:30 pm
- Destination: Dillingham AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.57 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from DLG, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 | 4 |
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.