# Accident 20181003016629A: Beech 1900C, Gambell, AK, October 3, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 3, 2018, 15:31 local time
- Place: Gambell, AK
- Airport: Gambell
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: EPUA
- Location: 63.7728° N, 171.7347° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=63.7728&lon=-171.7347&mi=10
- Aircraft: N575Q (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 1900C
- Reported engine: P&W PT6A SER
- People aboard: 9
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 4,299 total, 149 in this make and model, 221 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC19CA002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC19CA002) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181003016629A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON OCTOBER 3, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 2335Z, N575Q ENCOUNTERED A TAILSTRIKE DURING LANDING.  THIS WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN ACCIDENT DUE TO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE AFT PORTION OF THE FUSELAGE.

ANALYSIS OF THE WEATHER INDICATED THE PRIOR 3 OBSERVATIONS WERE STEADY WIND AT 22-24KTS, DIRECT X-WIND, BELOW THE AIRCRAFT'S MAX DEMONSTRATED X-WIND COMPONENT.  THESE OBSERVATIONS WERE SPACED 5 MINUTES APART.  AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE WIND GUSTED TO 38KTS OF X-WIND.  ALTHOUGH THE PREVIOUS 4 WEATHER REPORTS INDICATED STEADY WIND, THE PATTERN OF OCCASIONAL GUSTS EXCEEDING 35KTS COULD BE SEEN WHEN LOOKING AT ALL OF THE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SURFACE OBSERVATION STATION ON THAT DAY.

THERE WAS AN AIRMET IN EFFECT FOR STRONG SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30KTS, INTENSIFYING DURING THE PERIOD.  THE BODY OF THE AREA FORECAST INDICATED SURFACE WIND E-SE 30G40KTS SW OF THE BERING STRAIT.  USING RUNWAY 16, THIS WOULD PUT THE X-WIND COMPONENT AT 31KTS.

THE CONCLUSION OF THESE DATA IS THAT THE FLIGHT CREW LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING LANDING DUE TO AN X-WIND GUST AND THERE WAS A FAILURE OF THE OPERATIONAL CONTROL CENTER (DISPATCH) AND FLIGHT CREW TO ANTICIPATE THESE CONDITIONS BASED ON THE WEATHER DATA AVAILABLE AND HISTORICAL DATA OF MECHANICAL TURBULENCE AND GUSTS IN THIS LOCATION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC19CA002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC19CA002), Oct 3, 2018: Beech 1900 (N575Q), Gambell, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s unstabilized approach and improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.