De Havilland DHC-2 accident near Ketchikan, AK
On July 24, 2007, a De Havilland DHC-2 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ketchikan, AK. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 24, 2007
- Place
- Ketchikan, AK
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-2 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 55.551°N, 130.686°W
- NTSB ID
- 20070801X01084
Official records · ANC07FA068
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Charter Boat Captain Voice Mail Messages Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 24, 2007, about 1405 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 airplane, N995WA, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous tree-covered terrain, about 40 miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) sightseeing flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by Venture Travel LLC, dba Taquan Air Service, of Ketchikan. The airline transport pilot and the four passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) were reported in the area at the time of the accident. The flight departed Ketchikan about 1319, for a tour through Misty Fjords National Monument. A company VFR flight plan was in effect. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 24, the operator's president reported that the accident airplane departed Ketchikan as the second of three float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 airplanes on air tour flights over the Misty Fjords National Monument. He said each airplane departed from Ketchikan about 5 minutes apart, and the standard route of flight was northeast, over an area of remote inland fjords, coastal waterways, and mountainous tree-covered terrain. The 1 hour and 15 minute flightseeing tour included a landing on one of the inland ocean fjords before returning to Ketchikan. During an interview with the NTSB IIC on July 26, the pilot of the first tour airplane stated that initial weather con
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue under visual flight rules into an area of instrument metrological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, and the FAA's inadequate surveillance of the commercial air tour operator.
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jul 7, 2013
- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
Browse: Alaska · De Havilland aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
