De Havilland DHC-2 accident near Willow, AK
On July 19, 2018, a De Havilland DHC-2 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Willow, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 19, 2018
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-2 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.732°N, 150.048°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180719X32511
Official records · ANC18FA055
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 18, 2018, about 1900 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped De Havilland DHC-2 (Beaver) airplane, N9878R, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Willow, Alaska. The pilot sustained fatal injuries and the two passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight. The director of operations (DO) for Regal Air reported that the flight was chartered by the Alaska Medicaid Travel Office to provide roundtrip transportation for two passengers from a private residence at a remote lake, to the Willow Seaplane Base (2X2) and then return them home 2 days later. A different company pilot flew the passengers (a woman and her 2.5-year-old son) from their home to Willow Seaplane Base on July 16, and the accident flight was the return trip. The accident pilot had not flown out of Willow Lake as a company pilot-in-command or to the destination lake before, so the DO reviewed the lakes, route, and fuel load with him before the flight. The company vice president called the passenger before the flight and obtained an expected cargo load of 600 lbs. A review of Federal Aviation Administration radar and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) track data, revealed the airplane departed Lake Hood Seaplane Base (LHD), the operator's home base, about 1755 and arrived at Willow Seaplane Base at 1817. Witnesses reported that after arriving at the Willow Seaplane Base, the pilot loaded the passenger's cargo. According to the passenger, the cargo consisted of
Probable cause
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during departure climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to load the airplane beyond its allowable gross weight and center of gravity limits, coupled with his lack of operational experience in the airplane make, model, and configuration.
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.
