Dehavilland DHC-2 N906JS accident near Cantwell, Alaska

Probable cause

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. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to provide a thorough preflight briefing to the passenger seated in the cockpit.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated that during cruise flight, the engine suddenly lost all power. He attempted to restart the engine but was unable and elected to make a forced landing in a bog. During the landing, the left wing and right elevator stuck trees, sustaining substantial damage.

After the forced landing, the pilot noticed that the emergency fuel shutoff lever on the right side of the center console had been moved toward the shutoff position. The passenger who was seated in the right seat of the cockpit stated that he was unaware of the fuel shutoff lever and was not briefed on specific areas to be aware of in the cockpit but that he had been adjusting himself in the seat just prior to the engine shutting down.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC12CA070 for the full record.