DEHAVILLAND DHC 2

Full Narrative

On July 30, 2014, about 2230 Alaska daylight time, a de Havilland DHC-2 airplane, N62197, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during an aborted takeoff from a remote airstrip at the High Lake Lodge, about 60 miles northeast of Talkeetna, Alaska. The pilot and one passenger were uninjured. The airplane was registered to Gattis Aircraft, Inc., and operated by Glenn Air, Inc., Palmer, Alaska, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for the Wasilla Airport, Wasilla, Alaska.

According to the operator's president/chief pilot, the airplane had been outfitted with a large, internally-mounted bulk fuel tank, used to transport aviation fuel to a company owned remote fuel concession at High Lake Lodge. He added that the dirt and sod-covered airstrip at High Lake Lodge is 1,400 feet long, by 50 feet wide, and it's oriented on an east/west direction, at an elevation of 2,400 feet msl. He noted that the airstrip slopes downward slightly to the east, and at the time of the accident the airstrip was very soft, and covered in mud.

The president/chief pilot related that once the accident airplane arrived at the High Lake Lodge Airstrip, the pilot began to transfer the load of 180 gallons of aviation fuel (100LL) to the storage tank using a hose and pump transfer system. He added that the pilot operated the transfer pump for about 5 minutes, but he inadvertently did not open the drain valve to allow the tank to drain. Believing that the bulk fuel tank had been emptied, he disconnected the hose and pump system, and prepared for departure. The president/chief pilot noted that the accident pilot did not visually check the remaining quantity within the bulk fuel tank.

In his written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot reported that after arriving at the High Lake Lodge Airstrip, "the fuel handler" directed the unloading of the fuel load from the bulk tank. He added that once the fuel was unloaded, the fuel handler informed him that the tank was empty, so he departed for the return flight to the Wasilla Airport. The pilot reported that his initial takeoff run was to the east and downhill, so the acceleration appeared normal, likely due to the down-sloping grade of the site. However, as the takeoff roll continued, and the airplane approached the departure end of the site, the airplane did not lift off the ground, so he aborted the takeoff. The airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the site, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

According to the operator's president/chief pilot, a postaccident examination of the airplane's wreckage revealed that the entire 180 gallons of aviation fuel remained in the internally-mounted bulk fuel tank. Additionally, witnesses reported that the pilot departed about midfield, with only 750 feet remaining on the wet, muddy, soft airstrip. The president/chief pilot added that given the aircraft and environmental conditions, the estimated takeoff distance required would have be between 850 to 900 feet.