Amateur-built DHC-2 MK-1 accident near Elmendorf Afb, Alaska, August 9, 1987
On August 9, 1987 at about 7:25 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2 MK-1, registered N5342G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elmendorf Afb, Alaska (Six Mile Lake airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1987 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Elmendorf Afb, Alaska · Six Mile Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2 MK-1
- Registration
- N5342G · no longer on the register · serial 541708 (854)
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) ELECTED TO DEMONSTRATE A NO-FLAP TAKEOFF WITH CALM/GLASSY WATER CONDS. AFTER THE FLOAT PLANE HAD ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 55 TO 60 KTS WITHOUT BECOMING AIRBORNE, HE ELECTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. HE STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED A LEFT TURN & THE FLOAT PLANE SETTLED OFF STEP, BUT THE FORWARD MOMENTUM CAUSED THE ACFT TO CONT STRAIGHT AHEAD. HE CALLED FOR 'RUDDERS,' MEANING WATER RUDDERS, BUT THE STUDENT REACTED BY ASSISTING IN APPLYING NORMAL RUDDER. THE WATER RUDDER HANDLE WAS LOCATED AT THE LOWER LEFT CORNER OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL & WAS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE CFI, WHO WAS IN THE RGT SEAT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FLOAT PLANE IMPACTED AN EMBANKMENT WITH THE ENG SHUT DOWN AT AN ESTD SPEED OF 7 TO 10 KTS. THE CFI STATED THAT HE SHOULD HAVE CALLED FOR 'WATER RUDDERS.'
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,851 hours in all; 480 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 3,245 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,929 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1987; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,090 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-39A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Civil Air Patrol
The flight
- Departed from: SML at 2:25 pm
- Runway 27, 4,000 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N5342G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.