Amateur-built DHC-2 accident near Chitina, Alaska, October 18, 1998
On October 18, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-2, registered N94DC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chitina, Alaska (Ultima Thule Lodge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight which failed to detect water contamination in the fuel system. A factor was the unsuitable terrain in the emergency landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chitina, Alaska · Ultima Thule Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-2
- Registration
- N94DC · registry record · serial 51-16485
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was taking off when the engine quit at the departure end of the airstrip approximately 50 feet above the ground. The pilot landed straight ahead on a short gravel bar and nosed over into a river, with the carburetor remaining above water. The pilot said the front fuel tank was full, and selected. The fuel system remained intact. Disassembly of the engine revealed no mechanical, fuel system, or ignition system anomalies. No fuel was found in the main fuel supply line. A mix of water and fuel was found in the carburetor bowl.
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: 13,250 hours in all; 2,750 in this make and model; 320 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 13,150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,647 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 15, 1998; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ultima Thule AK at 5:00 pm
- Destination: CXC AK
- Runway 8, 1,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N94DC 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.