Britten-Norman BN-2B-21 accident near Kongiganak, Alaska, April 19, 1999
On April 19, 1999 at about 10:18 pm local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2B-21, registered N414JA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kongiganak, Alaska (Kongiganak airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 deep, water filled hole in the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 1999 · about 10:18 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Kongiganak, Alaska · Kongiganak · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN-2B-21 · all BN-2B-21s on the register
- Registration
- N414JA · registry record · serial 2107
- 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 certificated airline transport pilot reported that prior to landing he did a visual inspection of the runway. He noted that the runway appeared wet in some areas, but within acceptable limits for landing. He said that during the final stages of the landing roll, while moving at a relatively slow ground speed, the airplane's nose wheel encountered a large, water and mud-filled hole. He said that his postaccident inspection revealed that the nose strut had been bent aft, about 20 degrees from its original position. A subsequent inspection of the runway revealed a large, water-filled hole about 15 inches deep, by 1 foot wide, and 20 feet long in the middle of the runway. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. A subsequent inspection revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the nose wheel bulkhead.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 12,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,825 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 26, 1999; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K185 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK85 Kwigillingok AK at 4:45 pm
- Runway 18, 1,880 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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
- N414JA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Britten-Norman BN-2 54 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Britten-Norman 51 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K185 4,223 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kongiganak Airport · nearest airport
- Birchwater Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC99LA051.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.