De Havilland DHC 2 N115CX

Summary

On 25 June 2014 at about 22:47 local time, a De Havilland DHC 2 registered N115CX, operated by RBG Bush Planes LLC, was involved in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 June 2014 at 22:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Iliamna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

59.8961, -156.5061

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC 2

Registration

N115CX

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

RBG Bush Planes LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Iliamna → Ekwok

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC14LA046

Injuries not recorded.

The pilot’s improper decision to operate the airplane at low altitude and deliberately in close proximity to the boat operators, which resulted in a collision with a boat operator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was participating in a mission that included another airplane and two boat operators who were moving two open, 18-ft skiffs downriver. The pilot reported that, after the two boat operators departed, he started the float-equipped airplane and departed in the same direction that the boat operators had traveled. He added that he maintained a low altitude and that, after he passed the first boat, he "felt the airplane start to sink" and that, when he pulled back on the yoke to arrest the sink, he felt the back of the float hit something. The airplane had struck one of the boat operators. GPS data for the flight showed that the airplane did not climb after takeoff but instead remained at very low altitude and followed the river channel for more than 1 mile in the same direction that the boat operators had traveled. The first boat operator reported seeing the airplane pass directly over him about 15 or 20 ft above the water before proceeding toward the other boat operator, dropping down, and then hitting the other boat operator. He described the event as a "buzz job" and said that the pilot had buzzed them before. Although the pilot reported that the airplane sank unexpectedly after he passed the first boat operator, his chosen low altitude and flightpath placed the airplane in dangerous proximity to the boat operators (which was inconsistent with federal regulations) and allowed no margin to arrest a sink rate and avoid the collision. The other company pilot reported that there was no mission- or airplane performance-related reason for the airplane to be operating at such a low altitude over the river in the area where the collision occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.