De Havilland DHC 3 accident near Hydaburg, AK
On July 10, 2018, a De Havilland DHC 3 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hydaburg, AK. 6 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 10, 2018
- Place
- Hydaburg, AK
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC 3 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 6 serious, 4 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 55.258°N, 132.604°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180711X04255
Official records · ANC18FA053
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 10, 2018, about 0835 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped de Havilland DHC3T Otter airplane, N3952B, sustained substantial damage during impact with rocky, mountainous, rising terrain about 9 miles east of Hydaburg, Alaska. Of the 11 occupants on board, the airline transport pilot was uninjured, four passengers sustained minor injuries, and six passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to Blue Aircraft, LLC, and was operated by Taquan Air as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand commercial flight. Marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the visual flight rules (VFR) flight, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight departed Steamboat Bay about 0747 destined for Ketchikan, Alaska. The purpose of the flight was to transport guests that were staying at the Steamboat Bay Fishing Club on Noyes Island back to Ketchikan. The area between Noyes Island and Ketchikan consists of remote inland fjords, coastal waterways, and steep mountainous terrain. A review of GPS data extracted from the Chelton Integrated Display Unit (IDU) revealed that after departing Steamboat Bay the flight proceeded easterly towards the village of Klawock and to the northwest edge of Klawock Lake, prior to making about a 270° turn, it then continued on a southerly heading along the west coast of Prince of Wales Island towards Waterfall Seaplane Base (KWF) prior to turning easterly towards Hydaburg and an area known as Sulzer Portage. Figure 1. Google Earth overlay of the entire accident flight on J
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
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.
