Amateur-built BEAVER DHC 2 MK.1 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, September 20, 2019
On September 20, 2019 at about 10:45 pm local time, a 1955 amateur-built BEAVER DHC 2 MK.1, registered N67112, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Kotzebue, Alaska (Ralph Wien Memorial airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff from water after the airplane impacted a submerged object, which resulted in insufficient airspeed for liftoff and led to the pilot steering the airplane toward a mud embankment to avoid rocks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2019 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · Ralph Wien Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BEAVER DHC 2 MK.1 No Series, built 1955
- Registration
- N67112 · registry record · serial 1046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during takeoff from a lake and after the floats came up on the step, the right float struck a submerged bog, which resulted in a brief deceleration of airspeed. After the float cleared the submerged bog, the airplane accelerated again, but the airspeed was not sufficient for liftoff, so the pilot aborted the takeoff. As the airplane approached rocks at the edge of the lake, he steered the airplane right onto a mud embankment, and the airplane slid to a stop short of an adjacent taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Hidden/submerged object › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 98 in the last 30 days; 19,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 17, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,379.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 23, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Prat & Whitney R-985 (piston); 10,751 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Air LLC
The flight
- Departed from: OTZ Kotzebue AK
- Runway 36, 3,876 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.48 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from PAOT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 10, 2020. 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 | Pilot Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N67112 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.