Amateur-built DHC-3 accident near Beaver Village, Alaska, June 30, 1990
On June 30, 1990 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-3, registered N17689, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaver Village, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 8 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
MECHANICAL FAILURE OF AN EXHAUST ROCKER ARM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1990 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Beaver Village, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 8 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-3
- Registration
- N17689 · registry record · serial 431
- 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 SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF POWER WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT. HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO TREES. AN EXAMINATION OF THE RECENTLY OVERHAULED ENGINE REVEALED A FRACTURED EXHAUST ROCKER ARM THAT CAUSED 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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,400 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 8,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,111 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 27, 1990; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 12:50 pm
- Destination: ARC Arctic Village AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 7 |
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 N17689 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.