Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1 accident near Petersburg, Alaska, June 4, 2013
On June 4, 2013 at about 11:31 pm local time, a Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1, registered N616W, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Petersburg, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed, 2 people were seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate altitude above the trees, and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering to avoid the trees, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall/spin and an uncontrolled descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2013 · about 11:31 pm local time
- Place
- Petersburg, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 2 people were seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1 · all BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1s on the register
- Registration
- N616W · no longer on the register · serial 1290
- 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 the accident flight was his fourth flight and the third tour flight of the day in a float-equipped airplane. The weather had deteriorated throughout the day with lowering ceilings, light rain, and fog on the mountain ridges. The pilot said that when approaching a mountain pass, he initiated a climb by adding a "little bit" of flap (about 1 pump of the flap handle actuator) but did not adjust the engine power from the cruise power setting. He noted his airspeed at 80 knots, with a 200-feet-per-minute climb on the vertical speed indicator. He was having difficulty seeing over the cowling due to the nose-high attitude, when he suddenly noticed trees in his flight path. He initiated an immediate left turn; the airplane stalled, and began to drop, impacting the mountainous, tree-covered terrain. A passenger reported that the weather conditions at the time of the accident consisted of tufts of low clouds, and good visibility. They did not enter the clouds at any time during the flight. He reported that the airplane made a left turn, stalled, and then made a sharp left turn right before impact. The airplane seemed to be operating fine, and he heard no unusual sounds, other than the engine speed seemed to increase significantly right before impact. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and the postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Abrupt maneuver during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (cruise)
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 › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,841 hours in all; 1,465 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 3,971 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 5, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,909 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 5,371 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 SERIES (piston); 7,786 hours total
- Operator: Pacific Wings LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Petersburg AK
- Destination: Petersburg AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 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.
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 ANC13FA054.