Dehavilland DHC-3 accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, February 21, 2022
On February 21, 2022 at about 5:20 pm local time, a 1958 Dehavilland DHC-3, registered N413JP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Deadhorse, Alaska (Pvt airport). It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 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 a proper approach path in flat light conditions, which resulted in landing short of the runway and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 2022 · about 5:20 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · Pvt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-3, built 1958 · all DHC-3s on the register
- Registration
- N413JP · registry record · serial 314
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while landing at a remote ice-covered airstrip, in flat light conditions, the airplane descended below the glide path and landed short of the airstrip. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Landing area undershoot during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Flat light › Effect on personnel
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Visual illusion/disorientation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,762 hours in all; 1,320 in this make and model; 23.8 in the last 90 days; 23.8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 17, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,122 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 27, 2021; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-12JR (piston); 3,559 hours total
- Operator: Bald Mountain Air Service INC
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: -20°F (-29°C), dew point -27°F (-33°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from PASC, 90 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PASC 211753Z 09011KT 10SM OVC100 M29/M33 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP196 T12891328 11289 21344 56035 PNO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 –Removal of accident airplane from accident site. Photo
Photo 2 – Left front view of accident airplane after removal from accident site. Photo
Photo 3 – Left side empennage view of accident airplane after removal from accident site. PhotoThe 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 18, 2022. 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N413JP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dehavilland DHC-3 67 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-12JR 15 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- 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/ANC22LA019.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.