No fatalities

8 Jul 2012: DEHAVILLAND DHC-2 — Fly Denali, Inc — Cantwell, AK

Cantwell, AK, United States

On 8 Jul 2012, a DEHAVILLAND DHC-2 operated by Fly Denali, Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Cantwell, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The right seat passenger’s inadvertent contact with the emergency fuel shutoff valve, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During cruise flight, an aircraft's engine suddenly lost power. The pilot attempted restart but failed, then performed a forced landing in a bog, striking trees and sustaining substantial damage. Post-landing inspection revealed the emergency fuel shutoff lever had been moved.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported that during normal cruise flight, the engine suddenly lost all power. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, leading the pilot to execute a forced landing in a bog. During the landing, the left wing and right elevator struck trees, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft.

Post-Landing Observations

After the forced landing, the pilot noticed that the emergency fuel shutoff lever, located on the right side of the center console, had been moved toward the shutoff position.

Passenger Account

The passenger seated in the right cockpit seat stated that he was unaware of the fuel shutoff lever and had not been briefed on specific cockpit areas to be aware of. He reported that he had been adjusting himself in the seat just prior to the engine shutting down.

Contributing factors

Causes

PassengerUnintentional use/operation

Other contributing factors

Pilot