Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Nondalton, Alaska, July 30, 1998
On July 30, 1998 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2, registered N123EF, was involved in an accident near Nondalton, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 6 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate procedures/directives when he allowed a passenger to exit the cabin area while the propeller was still turning, and the passenger's failure to follow the pilot's instructions to stay away from the propeller. A factor associated with the accident is the passenger's unfamiliarity with aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Nondalton, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2
- Registration
- N123EF · registry record · serial 735
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the float equipped fishing lodge airplane instructed his passenger, a guide employed by the lodge, to exit the airplane's cabin and stand on a float in preparation for docking at a remote site. The pilot reminded the guide, a new lodge employee unfamiliar with aircraft, to stay behind the door until he shut the engine off, and the propeller had stopped. The guide did not stay behind the door, but walked forward on the float prior to engine/propeller stoppage. The guide was fatally injured when he was struck by the propeller.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,540 hours in all; 1,166 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 11,740 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 5 |
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 N123EF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N123EF 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
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N123EF 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC98LA112.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.