Amateur-built DHC-3 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, February 10, 1989
On February 10, 1989 at about 1:45 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-3, registered N5056Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO REMOVE FROST FROM THE AIRCRAFT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: IMPROPER WEIGHT AND BALANCE AND SNOW COVERED TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1989 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-3
- Registration
- N5056Q · no longer on the register · serial 296
- 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 PLT RPRTD THAT BEFORE THE FLT, THE WINGS & STABILIZER WERE SWEPT, LEAVING A LAYER OF 'POLISHED' FROST. FREIGHT WAS LOADED & THE ACFT WAS SERVICED TO BRING THE FUEL LEVEL UP TO 120 GAL. AFTER START, TAXI & RUN-UP, THE PLT BEGAN HIS TAKEOFF FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE 10,300 FT RWY (WITH 35' MP & 2250 RPM). AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL, HE ADJUSTED THE POWER (TO 30' MP & 2000 RPM) & RAISED THE FLAPS TO CLIMB AT 82 KTS. HOWEVER, THE ACFT DID NOT CLIMB & WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN LEVEL FLT. THE PLT INCREASED THE POWER (TO 31' MP & 2100 RPM), BUT HE BELIEVED THERE WAS A DEFINITE LOSS OF POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED WHEN THE PLT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF ON SNOW COVERED TERRAIN BEYOND THE END OF THE RWY. NO PRE-ACDNT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. AN INV REVEALED THE ENTIRE ACFT WAS COVERED WITH A COATING OF FROST. COMPANY RECORDS SHOWED THE EMPTY WEIGHT OF THE ACFT WAS 5088 LBS; THE ACFT'S ACTUAL EMPTY WEIGHT WAS 5285 LBS. AN FAA INSPECTOR CALCULATED THAT THE TAKEOFF GROSS WEIGHT EXCEEDED THE MAX LIMIT BY 130 LBS.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,153 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 7,440 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1988; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-59 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 12:45 pm
- Destination: EAA Eagle AK
- Runway 1, 10,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 1°F (-17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.