De Havilland DHC-6-300 N288SA
7 August 1999 · Ketchikan, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 August 1999 at about 17:30 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-300 registered N288SA, operated by Seaborne Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. 34 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 55.6102, -131.5795
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-6-300
- Registration
- N288SA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Seaborne Aviation Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC99LA107
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
Probable cause
A failure of ground handling personnel to verify a release procedure/directive, and removal of a second airplane's tiedown, and subsequent collision from a second airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A pair of float equipped, twin engine airplanes were each parked parallel to a dock. The airplanes were separated by about eight feet, one in front of the other. Both airplanes, operated by the same company, were preparing to depart on sightseeing flights. The crew of first airplane, N288SA, was beginning a passenger briefing. The passengers were on board the airplane, but the engines had not been started. The crew of the second airplane, N224SA, had completed a briefing to their passengers, and had started the engines. N224SA was tethered to the dock by ropes attached to the floats at the forward and aft end of the airplane. Each rope was tended by a company dock handler. Due to a slight change in the manner the passengers arrived from a cruise ship, the passengers had not received a briefing booklet before boarding the airplane. A company representative approached the forward dock handler to hand the briefing booklets to the airplane crew. The aft dock handler observed this activity and mistook its meaning as a 'thumbs up' signal. He released the docking rope, allowing N224SA to begin moving forward under idle power. The and nose of N224SA collided with the tail of N288SA. N288SA received damage to the rudder and trim tab assembly. N224SA received minor damage to the left pitot tube, and the left side of the nose.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Havilland DHC-6-300 DHC-6-300 | N288SA | Seaborne Aviation Inc. | Substantial |
| De Havilland DHC-6-300 DHC-6-300 | N224SA | Seaborne Aviation Inc. | Minor |
Other De Havilland DHC-6 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Apr 1999 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Lantana, Florida, United States | Carib-Air Cargo Inc., | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 1999 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | ERA Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 1999 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Fitiuta, Australia | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 2000 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Monument Valley, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Dec 2000 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Sacramento, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Jul 2000 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1999 | Piper PA-24-260 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 May 1999 | Stinson 108 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Glenn A. Ferris | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 May 1999 | De Havilland DHC 2 MK III | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | William A. Sego | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1999 | Cessna 170B | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 1999 | Piper PA-18 | Port Alsworth, Alaska, United States | James T. Ables | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1999 | Cessna 180G | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |