Dehavilland DHC-2 accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, July 12, 2023
On July 12, 2023 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1949 Dehavilland DHC-2, registered N814DW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mccarthy, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the right brake caliper bolts during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2023 · about 2:30 am local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-2, built 1949 · all DHC-2s on the register
- Registration
- N814DW · registry record · serial 34
- 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 during the landing roll on a gravel-covered airstrip, the airplane veered left, went through an embankment, and came to rest upright. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the right brake caliper bolts failed in overload. The lower bolt was broken in half, the upper bolt was not located, and the brake caliper was located in brush. Given that the airplane is routinely operated from rough, uneven, gravel-covered, off airport sites, it is likely that the brake caliper and bolts sustained impact damage, resulting in the failure of the attachment hardware.
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
- Runway excursion during landing
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,379 hours in all; 1,009 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 9,361 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,186 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 2023; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B (piston); 11,690 hours total
- Operator: Wrangell Mountain Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: PAMX Mccarthy AK at 2:20 am
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from PAGK, 85 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAGK 111753Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 13/08 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP141 T01330078 10133 20106 58001 TSNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of the left wing leading edge damage
Photograph 2 – Remaining fragments of the brake assembly.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 May 15, 2024. 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, 11 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
- N814DW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dehavilland DHC-2 255 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B 77 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mccarthy Airport · departed from
- 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/ANC23LA052.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.