Douglas DC-6B accident near Cold Bay, Alaska, June 12, 2011
On June 12, 2011 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Douglas DC-6B, registered N600UA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cold Bay, Alaska (Cold Bay airport). It was flown under large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's failure to extend the landing gear, which resulted in an inadvertent wheels up landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew's diverted attention.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2011 · about 10:55 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Cold Bay, Alaska · Cold Bay · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-6B · all DC-6Bs on the register
- Registration
- N600UA · registry record · serial 44894
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the captain, while on approach to land, he distracted the crew by pointing out a boat dock. He said that after touchdown, he realized that the landing gear was not extended, and the airplane slid on its belly, sustaining substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. He said that the crew did not hear the landing gear retracted warning horn, and the accident could have been prevented if he had not distracted the crew. The captain reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight crew
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 9,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 2, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,334 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 3, 2010; 98 hours since
- Seats: 96
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P & W R-2800 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P & W R-2800 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: P & W R-2800 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 4: P & W R-2800 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Universal Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: PATG Togiak Village AK at 4:30 pm
- Destination: PACD Cold Bay AK
- Runway 26, 6,235 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 20 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from PACD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on August 5, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N600UA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Douglas DC-6 17 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Douglas 305 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P & W R-2800 SERIES 173 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: P & W R-2800 SERIES 173 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cold Bay Airport · nearest airport
- Togiak Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC11CA044.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.