Dehavilland DHC 2 accident near Iliamna, Alaska, June 25, 2014
On June 25, 2014 at about 10:47 pm local time, a 1957 Dehavilland DHC 2, registered N115CX, suffered minor damage in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Iliamna, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper decision to operate the airplane at low altitude and deliberately in close proximity to the boat operators, which resulted in a collision with a boat operator.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2014 · about 10:47 pm local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC 2, built 1957 · all DHC 2s on the register
- Registration
- N115CX · registry record · serial 1151
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was participating in a mission that included another airplane and two boat operators who were moving two open, 18-ft skiffs downriver. The pilot reported that, after the two boat operators departed, he started the float-equipped airplane and departed in the same direction that the boat operators had traveled. He added that he maintained a low altitude and that, after he passed the first boat, he "felt the airplane start to sink" and that, when he pulled back on the yoke to arrest the sink, he felt the back of the float hit something. The airplane had struck one of the boat operators. GPS data for the flight showed that the airplane did not climb after takeoff but instead remained at very low altitude and followed the river channel for more than 1 mile in the same direction that the boat operators had traveled. The first boat operator reported seeing the airplane pass directly over him about 15 or 20 ft above the water before proceeding toward the other boat operator, dropping down, and then hitting the other boat operator. He described the event as a "buzz job" and said that the pilot had buzzed them before. Although the pilot reported that the airplane sank unexpectedly after he passed the first boat operator, his chosen low altitude and flightpath placed the airplane in dangerous proximity to the boat operators (which was inconsistent with federal regulations) and allowed no margin to arrest a sink rate and avoid the collision. The other company pilot reported that there was no mission- or airplane performance-related reason for the airplane to be operating at such a low altitude over the river in the area where the collision occurred.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › (general) › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,525 hours in all; 2,030 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 8,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 22, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,799.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 5,600 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B (piston); 8,662 hours total
- Operator: Rbg Bush Planes LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Iliamna AK
- Destination: KEK Ekwok AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from PAIG, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC14LA046.