Britten-Norman BN-2A accident near English Bay, Alaska, October 16, 1998
On October 16, 1998 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2A, registered N6522T, was substantially damaged in an accident near English Bay, Alaska (English Bay airport). 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 pilot-in-command's inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions, and failure to maintain adequate clearance from the parked airplane. Factors associated with this accident were the gusty crosswinds, and the congested takeoff area due to no parking ramp.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1998 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- English Bay, Alaska · English Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN-2A · all BN-2As on the register
- Registration
- N6522T · registry record · serial 136
- 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 airplane was departing runway 19, with winds from 240 degrees magnetic at 20 knots gusting to 25 knots, when it collided with an airplane parked across the east edge of the runway. No ramp area exists at the airport, requiring airplanes to park on the runway edge of the 1,850 feet long by 50 feet wide airstrip. The pilots of both airplanes told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that there was room to taxi past the parked airplane.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,903 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 6,852 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,477 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 12, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,200 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEB AK at 6:55 pm
- Destination: HOM Homer AK
- Runway 19, 1,850 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N6522T 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.