Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Aniak, Alaska, September 24, 1996
On September 24, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2, registered N5343G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aniak, 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
The pilot's failure to remove all snow and ice from the airplane prior to takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · map
- 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
- N5343G · registry record · serial 862
- 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 stated that he landed the airplane on the lake to pick up two hunters. While they were loading the airplane, a snow shower moved in and the visibility degraded from 3 miles to less than 1/4 mile. After approximately 5 minutes, the snow shower stopped and visibility improved to 5 miles. He elected to takeoff. He brushed his hand on the tail surface of the airplane and noted that the snow brushed off easily. He did not brush any more snow off the airplane. The pilot stated that when he started the engine he looked out at the tail and saw that the snow had blown off the tail. He assumed that it would blow off the rest of the airplane during the takeoff run. The airplane lifted off the surface of the lake and would not climb above 5 feet of altitude. The pilot aborted the takeoff and had insufficient room to stop the airplane. The airplane collided with the shoreline.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,593 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days; 2,522 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,594 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 31, 1996; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,090 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aniak Air Guides
The flight
- Departed from: Oskawalik Lake AK at 2:00 pm
- Destination: ANI AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°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 N5343G 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.