Douglas DC-3C accident near Anchorage, Alaska, July 31, 1998
On July 31, 1998 at about 11:26 pm local time, a Douglas DC-3C, registered N305SF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage International airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, and the resulting overload fracture of the tailwheel fork assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1998 · about 11:26 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-3C · all DC-3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N305SF · registry record · serial 6208
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, after a wheel landing, the airplane veered left and departed the runway. The airplane's tailwheel fork assembly fractured. Postaccident inspection revealed the tailwheel offset to the left of the fuselage. Inspection at the NTSB metallurgical laboratory showed overstress separations with no evidence of preexisting cracking. The airplane and assembly had both accumulated 29,846 hours in operation at the time of the accident.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 13,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 29,857 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 1830-92 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Galaxy Air Cargo, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 5NN Nondalton AK at 5:00 pm
- Destination: ANC
- Runway 32, 10,496 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:26 pm from ANC
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.