Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, June 27, 2019
On June 27, 2019 at about 5:45 pm local time, a 1951 amateur-built DHC-2, registered N94DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ketchikan, Alaska (Ketchikan Harbor airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of directional control while landing, which resulted in a water loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2019 · about 5:45 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · Ketchikan Harbor · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2, built 1951
- Registration
- N94DC · registry record · serial 238
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, upon touchdown in the float-equipped airplane, the seaplane skipped, and the right float dug into the water. A video recorded by a cruise ship passenger captured the accident sequence and revealed that the airplane was landing parallel to an ocean swell and touched down in a relatively flat pitch attitude. After touchdown and encountering the swell, the airplane veered to the left, water looped, nosed down, and began to submerge. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left lift strut, and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,775 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 3,545 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 11, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,674 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 20, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 5,090 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney (piston); 10,338 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KTN Ketchikan AK
- Destination: 5KE Ketchikan AK
- Runway W, 3,893 ft by 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Accident airplane partially submerged, shortly after the accident.
Photo 2 – Accident airplane partially submerged in the ocean waters.
Photo 3 – Accident airplane during recovery from the ocean waters.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 21, 2020. 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 |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N94DC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N94DC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base · nearest airport
- Ketchikan International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N94DC 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC19LA028.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.