Amateur-built DHC-3 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, July 14, 1995
On July 14, 1995 at about 2:30 am local time, a amateur-built DHC-3, registered N472PM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CRACKS IN THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE ELEVATOR SERVO TAB, WHICH RESULTED IN ITS SUBSEQUENT FAILURE AND PARTIAL SEPARATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1995 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-3
- Registration
- N472PM · no longer on the register · serial 419
- 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 HAD JUST COMPLETED A CLIMBOUT AND WAS ADJUSTING THE TRIM FOR LEVEL FLIGHT, WHEN THE AIRPLANE BEGAN VIBRATING. HE LANDED IMMEDIATELY. EXAMINATION SHOWED THAT A PORTION OF THE ELEVATOR SERVO TAB HAD SEPARATED. EXAMINATION OF THE REMAINING SECTION OF THE SERVO TAB SHOWED THAT THERE WERE CRACKS IN THE TRAILING EDGE. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE REPORTED THAT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED, THE TAIL WAS ABOUT 10 TO 11 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO INSPECT DURING PREFLIGHT.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,596 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KTN AK at 9:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.