Dehavilland DHC-2 N91AK accident near Kodiak, Alaska

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb and turn after takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The airline transport pilot was conducting a scheduled commuter flight between remote villages in a float-equipped airplane. After making an intermediate stop to drop off a company maintenance technician at a remote lake, the pilot back-taxied the airplane to the east in preparation for a westerly departure. He estimated the wind at 15 knots with increasing gusts to 25 knots from the west. Ground witnesses and passengers on board the airplane reported that the pilot initiated a takeoff to the west, toward an area of rising, tree-covered terrain. After becoming airborne, the airplane entered a left turn to avoid the terrain. The left turn steepened, and the airplane then entered a steep nose-down descent into the terrain. The pilot reported that he did not recall any preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. Due to his injuries, he was unable to recall the events of the accident.

Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane. Given the witness accounts of the accident, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb toward and subsequent turn away from rising terrain, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC16LA062 for the full record.