Dehavilland DHC 3T accident near Iliamna, AK
On September 15, 2015, a Dehavilland DHC 3T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Iliamna, AK. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 15, 2015
- Place
- Iliamna, AK
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC 3T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 5 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 59.778°N, 154.918°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150915X52520
Official records · ANC15FA071
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 15, 2015, about 0606 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine-powered, float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3T (Otter) airplane, N928RK, impacted tundra-covered terrain just after takeoff from East Wind Lake, about 1 mile east of the Iliamna Airport, Iliamna, Alaska. Of the 10 people on board, three passengers died at the scene, the airline transport pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Rainbow King Lodge, Inc., Lemoore, California, as a visual flight rules other work use flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Dark night, visual meteorological conditions existed at the departure point at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. At the time of the accident, the airplane was en route to a remote fishing site on the Swishak River, about 75 miles northwest of Kodiak, Alaska. The manager of Rainbow King Lodge reported that the accident airplane was being used to transport sport-fishing clients and guides to a remote area for a day of salmon fishing. The manager noted that, on the morning of the accident, a lodge employee transported the guests to East Wind Lake in a lodge-owned van for the early morning departure. The pilot reported that, on the morning of the accident, he woke at 0430 to check the weather and prepare for the flight. He stated that he had been sleeping normally and was feeling well except for pain in his right knee
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to depart in dark night, visual meteorological conditions over water, which resulted in his subsequent spatial disorientation and loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to determine the airplane's actual preflight weight and balance and center of gravity (CG), which led to the airplane being loaded and operated outside of the weight and
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
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- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
Browse: Alaska · Dehavilland 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.
