Dehavilland DHC-2 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, March 22, 2017
On March 22, 2017 at about 3:35 pm local time, a 1952 Dehavilland DHC-2, registered N264P, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Ketchikan, Alaska (Ketchikan Harbor airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The floatplane pilot's failure to avoid a buoy during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2017 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · Ketchikan Harbor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-2 MK1, built 1952 · all DHC-2s on the register
- Registration
- N264P · no longer on the register · serial 464
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the float-equipped airplane reported that, before the takeoff, he taxied "out a little farther than normal" due to another airplane taxiing in the waterway. He added that, as he advanced the throttle, his forward view changed as the airplane came onto step position and that he subsequently saw a buoy in the takeoff path. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff, but the right wing impacted the buoy. The pilot taxied back to the dock without further incident. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,749 hours in all; 994 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 22, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32,717 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 5,090 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R985AN14B (piston); 10,442 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5KE Ketchikan AK
- Destination: HYL Hollis AK
- Runway W, 3,893 ft by 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; a few clouds at 400 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.45 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PAKT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 8, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.