2019 Alaska mid-air collision

On May 13, 2019, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane operated by Mountain Air Service collided with a Taquan Air de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter floatplane over George Inlet, Alaska, United States. The DHC-2 broke up in mid-air with the loss of all four passengers and the pilot. The DHC-3 pilot was able to maintain partial control – enough to perform a forced landing on George Inlet – but the aircraft sustained substantial damage in the collision and the landing; the pilot suffered minor injuries, nine passengers suffered serious injuries, and one passenger was killed. Both aircraft were conducting sightseeing flights under visual flight rules, which state that the pilot of each aircraft is responsible for visually ensuring adequate separation from other air traffic, commonly known as "see and avoid".

In April 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attributed the accident to the inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept, along with the absence of alerts from both airplanes' traffic display systems." Due to the angle of approach, the DHC-2 pilot's view was obscured by the aircraft structure and the passenger sitting in the right-hand seat, while the DHC-2 was blocked from the DHC-3 pilot's view by the left front window post. Both aircraft were equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) traffic alert systems, but the DHC-3 automatic alert feature had been disabled by an equipment change, while the alert features of the DHC-2 system did not trigger because avionics in the DHC-3 were not broadcasting the aircraft's altitude. The NTSB also identified Taquan's inadequate preflight checklist and the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to require Taquan to implement a safety management system as contributing factors.

Accident

Both aircraft were returning to Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base approximately 7 miles southwest. The DHC-2 was flying at 107 kn at an altitude of about 3350 ft mean sea level (MSL) while the DHC-3 was gradually descending at 126 kn from an altitude of 3700 ft MSL. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The DHC-3 was equipped with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) collision warning system, but the pilot did not perceive any ADS–B collision warnings before he saw a "flash" to his left, and the two aircraft collided at 12:21 PM local time at an altitude of about 3350 ft MSL. One of the passengers in the DHC-3 reportedly saw the other aircraft before the collision and yelled "Pull up! Pull up!" before impact. The collision broke the windshield and separated the left rear door from the DHC-3.

The DHC-2 broke up in mid-air, creating an approximately 2,000 by 1,000 ft debris field about 1.75 miles southwest of the DHC-3 crash site. The DHC-2 fuselage, empennage, and cabin structure were separated from one another, and the right wing showed damage consistent with propeller impacts. The pilot and all 4 passengers were killed.

The DHC-3 pitched about 27 degrees nose down, but the pilot was able to maintain partial control and perform a landing flare before touching down in George Inlet. On landing, the aircraft shuddered violently, the floats separated from the aircraft, and the cabin immediately flooded through the left rear door opening and broken windshield and began to sink. The pilot suffered head injuries in the collision and landing but was able to open the right rear door and help passengers exit. The pilot and surviving passengers were rescued by a nearby boater in a small skiff, who immediately called the United States Coast Guard and ferried the survivors to shore before a Coast Guard boat and helicopter arrived. The female passenger in the right front seat was severely injured and was seen motionless and slumped over in her seat as the aircraft sank. She was the only fatality on the DHC-3.

The DHC-3 came to rest under about 80 ft of water. The fuselage forward of the bulkhead separating the passenger cabin from the cockpit was found mostly broken away from the rear fuselage, and the left side of the forward fuselage was more heavily damaged than the right side. Two propeller blades were partially broken off, while all three were bent and gouged in a manner consistent with heavy rotational contact with a solid object, and were smeared with white paint.