Amateur-built BEAVER DHC 2 accident near Kodiak, Alaska, October 7, 2019
On October 7, 2019 at about 10:10 pm local time, a 1958 amateur-built BEAVER DHC 2, registered N1544, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Kodiak, Alaska. It was a positioning 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 failure to maintain lateral control while landing on glassy water, which resulted in the left float touching the water, a loss of yaw control, and impact with a riverbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2019 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kodiak, Alaska · 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 No Series, built 1958
- Registration
- N1544 · registry record · serial 1230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during landing on a glassy river and as he was rolling the wings level, he felt the left float touch the water. The airplane yawed left, went up a riverbank, and slid on the tundra. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing lift strut. 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
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Glassy surface › Effect on personnel
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,173 hours in all; 238 in this make and model; 231 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 7,978 as pilot in command; 963 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 16, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,302.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Andrew Airways Inc
The flight
- Departed from: Larson Bay AK at 4:57 pm
- Destination: Kodiak AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 12 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from PAKH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 2019. 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 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 N1544 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.