Grumman G-44 accident near Dillingham, Alaska, August 21, 2011
On August 21, 2011 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Grumman G-44, registered N139F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Dillingham, Alaska (Dillingham airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of directional control during landing due to a rock lodged in the main landing gear wheel brake, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2011 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Alaska · Dillingham · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-44 · all G-44s on the register
- Registration
- N139F · no longer on the register · serial 1375
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, just prior to the accident landing, he had parked the amphibious airplane on a beach where, unknown to him, the left main landing gear wheel brake had apparently captured a small rock in the brake system. On landing at the destination airport, the left brake locked and the airplane departed the left side of the runway, colliding with terrain and sustaining substantial damage to the left wing. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who went to the accident site confirmed that a small rock was found wedged in the left brake assembly.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 30,000 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 30,000 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,090 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 18, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fresh Water Adventures INC
The flight
- Departed from: Nerka Lake AK at 11:50 am
- Destination: PADL Dillingham AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 19, 6,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.26 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N139F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC11LA084.