Beech C-45H incident near Shageluk, Alaska, March 18, 1991
On March 18, 1991 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Beech C-45H, registered N400WA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Shageluk, Alaska (Shageluk airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PIC'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY DETERMINE THE REQUIRED WIDTH OF RUNWAY NEEDED BY THEIR AIRPLANE AND INADEQUATE SNOW REMOVAL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE SNOW BERM AND THE COPILOT'S MISJUDGMENT OF RUNWAY WIDTH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1991 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Shageluk, Alaska · Shageluk · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-45H · all C-45Hs on the register
- Registration
- N400WA · no longer on the register · serial AF-764
- Damage
- Minor 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 ATTEMPTED TO GET CURRENT WEATHER AND AIRPORT INFORMATION PRIOR TO AND DURING FLIGHT CONCERNING THE RUNWAY AT SHAGELUK, ALASKA. THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED AND THE FLIGHT SERVICE SPECIALIST DID NOT BELIEVE THE INFORMATION WAS CURRENT. UPON REACHING SHAGELUK, THE CREW OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT AND IT APPEARED TO BE SUITABLE FOR LANDING. UPON LANDING, THE LEFT PROPELLER STRUCK THE SNOW BERM AND THE AIRPLANE VEERED INTO THE BANK. ACCORDING TO THE FLIGHT CREW, THE RUNWAY WAS PLOWED ONLY 26 TO 35 FEET IN WIDTH.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,101 hours in all; 1,081 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 1,026 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,093 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 15, 1991; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE 331-101B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 8:10 pm
- Destination: SHX Shageluk AK
- Runway 15, 2,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: -20°F (-29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.