De Havilland DHC-3 N254AW
7 September 2001 · Cordova, Alaska, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 7 September 2001 at about 19:45 local time, a De Havilland DHC-3 registered N254AW was involved in an accident near Cordova, Alaska, United States. 9 people were on board and one had minor injuries. 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 19:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cordova, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 60.0333, -144.4667
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-3
- Registration
- N254AW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cordova → Cordova
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC01LA138
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power during cruise due to the fracture of an engine cylinder exhaust valve.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The certificated commerical pilot with eight passengers aboard, was in cruise flight when he heard a loud bang as the engine began to run rough and lose power. As the pilot was performing engine emergency procedures, he smelled smoke in the cabin, and noted that the oil pressure was rapidly decreasing. During the subsequent forced landing in a marshy, muskeg-covered area, the airplane nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to right wing strut, engine firewall, and empennage. When the engine was disassembled, the exhaust valve within the number one cylinder was found fractured.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-3 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2001 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Decatur, Texas, United States | Thomas W. Bishop | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2002 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Tenakee Springs, Alaska, United States | Alaska Juneau Aeronautics Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 2002 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Nikolai, Alaska, United States | Glenn, David Hamilton | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 1999 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Healy, Alaska, United States | Forty Mile Air Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 2004 | De Havilland DHC-3 | McGrath, Alaska, United States | Exousia Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Jul 2005 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | Promech Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-12 | Tok, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2001 | Freeman GLASTAR | Glennallen, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2001 | Piper PA-18-135 | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 2001 | Piper PA-16 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 2001 | Sikorsky S61A | Wrangell, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2001 | Cessna 150 | Delta Junction, Alaska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |