Short Bros. & Harland SC7 SERIES 3 accident near Chefornak, Alaska, May 3, 2012
On May 3, 2012 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Short Bros. & Harland SC7 SERIES 3, registered N1906, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Chefornak, Alaska (Chefornak airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misidentification of a nearby snow-covered road as the snow-covered runway in flat light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2012 · about 6:40 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Chefornak, Alaska · Chefornak · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Short Bros. & Harland SC7 SERIES 3 · all SC7 SERIES 3s on the register
- Registration
- N1906 · registry record · serial SH1906
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a narrow gravel runway adjacent to a gravel road. He reported that both the road and runway were covered with snow and that flat light conditions made it difficult to discern between the two surfaces. He inadvertently landed to the left of the runway on the rough road, which resulted in structural damage to the nose landing gear bulkhead.
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 visual reference during approach
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Flat light › Effect on personnel
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,544 hours in all; 4,682 in this make and model; 194 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 18,942 as pilot in command; 1,044 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 20, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,970 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 2, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TPE331-2-201A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TPE331-2-201A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ryan Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: PABE Bethel AK at 1:02 pm
- Destination: PACK Chefornak AK
- Runway 34, 2,500 ft by 28 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from PACK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on July 27, 2012. 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
- N1906 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Short Bros. & Harland SC-7 27 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Short Bros. & Harland 33 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-2-201A 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-2-201A 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chefornak Airport · nearest airport
- Bethel Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC12CA036.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.