Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, July 2, 2012
On July 2, 2012 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2, registered N1018A, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Ketchikan, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a step turn on floats.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2012 · about 11:15 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 · all BEAVER DHC-2s on the register
- Registration
- N1018A · registry record · serial 178
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the float-equipped airplane reported that he planned to step taxi while making a left turn and then takeoff. He applied takeoff power to get the airplane on step, then reduced power, and started a turn to the left. The airplane turned to the left sharper than he anticipated. He applied right rudder and reduced left aileron. As the turn started to straighten out, the airplane’s right wing struck the water and sustained substantial damage. There were no preaccident mechanical issues with the airplane.
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 takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,925 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 4,531 as pilot in command; 765 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 3, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,310 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 17, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: S & S Aircraft Leasing INC
The flight
- Departed from: Ketchikan AK
- Destination: PAKT Ketchikan AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PAKT, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on August 8, 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
- N1018A on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 38 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R-985 SERIES 1,593 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ketchikan International · bound for
- 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/ANC12CA060.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.