De Havilland DHC 2 N62197

Summary

On 31 July 2014 at about 06:30 local time, a De Havilland DHC 2 registered N62197, operated by Glenn Air Inc., was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, United States. 2 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.

Date

31 July 2014 at 06:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

High Lake Lodge (N/S)

Coordinates

62.8414, -149.1058

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC 2

Registration

N62197

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Glenn Air Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talkeetna → Wasilla

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC14LA058

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection that did not detect that the bulk fuel tank was full and led to an unanticipated heavy airplane weight and his failure to use the entire soft, wet, and muddy airstrip length for takeoff, which resulted in a takeoff overrun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had been outfitted with a large, bulk fuel tank to transport fuel to remote sites. After a fuel delivery, the airplane departed from a soft, wet, and muddy sod-covered airstrip that was 1,400 ft long and 50 ft wide with a slight downhill grade. The pilot reported that, during the takeoff run, the airplane failed to become airborne before reaching the end of the airstrip, so he aborted the takeoff. The airplane overran the airstrip and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The operator stated that, before the fuel delivery, the airplane was loaded with about 180 gallons of aviation fuel and that, after arriving at the airstrip, the pilot got out of the airplane, connected a hose and transfer pump system to the bulk fuel tank, and operated the transfer pump for about 5 minutes. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that all 180 gallons of fuel were still in the bulk fuel tank. According to the operator, the pilot did not open the drain valve to allow the tank to drain nor did he verify that the tank was empty before departing. Further, the operator stated that the pilot departed about midfield using only the last 750 ft of airstrip that remained; the estimated takeoff distance for the flight was between 800 and 900 ft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.