No fatalities

22 Mar 2017: DEHAVILLAND DHC-2 MK1 — Pacific Airways — Ketchikan, AK

Ketchikan, AK, United States

On 22 Mar 2017, a DEHAVILLAND DHC-2 MK1 operated by Pacific Airways was involved in an aviation accident near Ketchikan, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The floatplane pilot's failure to avoid a buoy during takeoff. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 16 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A float-equipped airplane collided with a buoy during a takeoff attempt after the pilot observed the obstacle in the path, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.

Incident Summary

A float-equipped airplane struck a buoy with its right wing while aborting a takeoff. The pilot reported that before the takeoff, he taxied out farther than usual because another airplane was taxiing in the waterway. As the throttle was advanced, the forward view changed when the airplane came onto step, and the pilot subsequently saw a buoy in the takeoff path. He immediately aborted the takeoff, but the right wing impacted the buoy.

Pilot's Account

The pilot noted that the decision to taxi out farther than normal was due to the presence of another airplane taxiing in the waterway. He stated that as the airplane came onto step, his forward view changed, allowing him to see the buoy. The pilot acted promptly to abort the takeoff, but the collision with the buoy could not be avoided. After the impact, the pilot taxied the airplane back to the dock without any further incident.

Damage

The right wing sustained substantial damage as a result of the collision. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Investigation Notes

No further details regarding the aircraft type, registration, operator, or location were provided in the available source material.

Contributing factors

PilotEffect on operation