Sunday, August 26, 2012

de Havilland Canada U-6 Beaver (DHC-2), High Adventure Air Guides and Outfitters, N314HA: Accident occurred August 25, 2012 in Kenai, Alaska

http://registry.faa.gov/N314HA

NTSB Identification: ANC12CA092  
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Saturday, August 25, 2012 in Kenai, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/05/2012
Aircraft: DEHAVILLAND BEAVER U-6, registration: N314HA
Injuries: 3 Minor,3 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot of a float-equipped airplane was landing at a remote lake. The pilot stated that he was on a left base leg turning onto a short final approach when the left float struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate ground clearance during his landing approach, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

The pilot of a float-equipped airplane was landing at a remote lake. The pilot stated that he was in a left base to final turn when the left float struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident anomalies with the airplane.


NTSB Identification: ANC12CA092 
 Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Saturday, August 25, 2012 in Kenai, AK
Aircraft: DEHAVILLAND BEAVER U-6, registration: N314HA
Injuries: 3 Minor,3 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot of a float-equipped airplane was landing at a remote lake. The pilot stated that he was in a left base to final turn when the left float struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident anomalies with the airplane.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 314HA        Make/Model: DHC2      Description: DHC-2 Mk1 Beaver (U-6, L-20)
  Date: 08/25/2012     Time: 1605

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: BIG RIVER LAKES   State: AK   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT ON WATER LANDING, FLIPPED OVER, BIG RIVER LAKES, AK

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   5     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   5     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Business      Phase: Landing      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK  (AL03)                 Entry date: 08/27/2012 

Around 8 a.m. on Saturday, a float plane crash on Big River Lakes left six people mostly unharmed, the Peninsula Clarion reports.

A pilot for the High Adventure Air Guides and Outfitters attempted to land a single-engine de Havilland Beaver when it hit the ground and skidded into a bog next to the lake, located near Redoubt Bay State Critical Habitat Area.

“We thought everything was OK up until the point it touched the ground,” passenger Daryl Palmer told the Clarion. “(The pilot) wasn’t panicking.”

The pilot, four passengers, and a fishing guide all walked away from the crash. Holly Conner, 34, called the crash “gentle.”

Conner and Palmer are Peninsula Clarion employees; the other two passengers were a father and son from out of state. The only injuries reported in the crash were cuts to the father’s head, near his left ear. A secretary at High Adventure Air Guides and Outfitters told the Clarion that she couldn’t give them the pilot’s name.

The FAA told the Clarion that the crash is being investigated by both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board. The cause of the crash was not immediately available.