Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Caribou Lake, Alaska, June 27, 1990
On June 27, 1990 at about 9:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2, registered N5147G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caribou Lake, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
A POWER LOSS CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF A PISTON CYLINDER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 1990 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Caribou Lake, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2
- Registration
- N5147G · registry record · serial 350
- 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 A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM CARIBOU LAKE. HE SAID THAT HE MADE A CONTROLLED LANDING INTO SMALL SPRUCE TREES, CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE. A SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER NINE CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED, CAUSING THE LOSS OF POWER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,228 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 1990; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,090 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R985AN4B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N5147G 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.