Amateur-built DHC-2 MK-I accident near Juneau, Alaska, June 22, 1997
On June 22, 1997 at about 10:45 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2 MK-I, registered N470DB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudged touchdown which resulted in dragging the right wingtip and rupturing the fuel tank. A factor associated with the accident is the rough water conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1997 · about 10:45 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2 MK-I
- Registration
- N470DB · registry record · serial 917
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The float-equipped airplane was observed striking its right wing on water 3 miles west of Juneau, Alaska, while landing, then taking off again. One hour later, witnesses at a lake 30 miles south of Juneau, observed the airplane land, drag a wing and strike the propeller on the water, then take off. The private pilot reported that while in cruise, after the second takeoff, the engine stopped, and he made a power-off landing to the water. Postaccident inspection revealed substantial damage to the right wing.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 352 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 224 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,030 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1997; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU AK at 5:30 pm
- Destination: JNU AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N470DB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: P&W R-985 1,593 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Juneau International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC97LA105.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.