Beech 200 accident near New Stuyahok, Alaska, December 6, 2023
On December 6, 2023 at about 11:15 pm local time, a 1979 Beech 200, registered N98RA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near New Stuyahok, Alaska (New Stuyahok airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of directional control during landing flare resulting in substantial damage to the left wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 2023 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- New Stuyahok, Alaska · New Stuyahok · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200, built 1979 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N98RA · registry record · serial BB439
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while landing on Runway 32, a remote snow-covered gravel runway, just prior to touchdown, the left wing dropped, which resulted in a hard landing. The left wing then struck a snow berm and the airplane to spun 180°. A post-accident inspection revealed that there was substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,825 hours in all; 191.9 in this make and model; 190.9 in the last 90 days; 68.2 in the last 30 days; 26,825 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 9, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
Passenger
- Seat: rear
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
Passenger
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,664.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 2023; 59.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-41 (turboprop); 14,412 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-41 (turboprop); 9,994 hours total
- Operator: Denaina Air Taxi LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PAJZ Koliginek AK at 11:05 pm
- Runway 32, 3,281 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 2:09 pm from ANW, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PANW 062309Z AUTO 09006KT 1 1/2SM UP BR OVC008 M09/M10 A2972 RMK AO2 UPB05SNE05 CIG 004V010 P0000 FZRANO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.