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NTSB Investigating DHC-2 Accident Near Soldotna, Alaska

An accident record filed by the National Transportation Safety Board lists a de Havilland DHC-2 MK 1 operated by Rust's Flying Service as substantially damaged near Soldotna on August 9, 2025; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 9:27 a.m. ET
The National Transportation Safety Board has an open investigation into an accident involving a de Havilland DHC-2 MK 1 near Soldotna, Alaska, on August 9, 2025, at about 5:00 p.m. local time, according to the NTSB accident record. This is a developing matter and the record remains a preliminary filing. The accident record identifies the aircraft as , lists the operator as , and classifies the flight as a Part 135 commuter or on-demand operation. The aircraft is listed as having sustained substantial damage. The record does not list injury counts, which is usual for a preliminary filing. The cause has not been determined. Aircraft registry records describe as a , a single-engine piston landplane with a P&W R-985 series engine, serial number 52, registered in the United States. The registry lists the registered owner as Rustair Inc; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator of the flight, the pilot, or otherwise connected to it. As a matter of public record, NTSB files list five other cases involving the same owner/operator: N4444Z, a de Havilland DHC-2, at Anchorage, Alaska on August 2, 2024 (ANC24LA073); N4891Z, a Cessna U206G, at Skwentna, Alaska on August 14, 2023 (ANC23LA063); N4596U, a Cessna U206G, at Chinita Bay, Alaska on May 23, 2016 (GAA16CA272); and N121KT, a de Havilland DHC-2, at Skwentna, Alaska on December 17, 2012 (ANC13CA018) and at Talkeetna, Alaska on June 14, 2012 (ANC12LA051). Those cases say nothing about the cause of this accident. Separately, the NTSB database, which begins in 2008, contains two other cases involving the , of which none involved a fatality; that is a count and not a safety rate. The NTSB investigation is open. No cause, contributing factor or finding has been stated by the board.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
N232KT
Type
Dehavilland DHC-2 MK 1 — single-engine piston landplane
Engines
P&W R-985 SERIES
Registered owner
Rustair IncThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
92 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.1 miles NW of Soldotna Airport (PASX/SXQ)

Sources

No sources recorded.

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 13:27current

    Restated the type-record count as separate from the operator history and added an explicit line that the NTSB has stated no finding; no new sources or figures.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 22:58

    First published.

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