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20211013017051A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 180J · Sutton, AK · October 13, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 13, 2021 · 13:00 local
Place
Sutton, AK
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision
Midair collision
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9966N
NTSB investigation
NTSBANC22LA002
Reported as
Cessna 180J
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
25,000 total
N9966NRegistered now · Cessna 180JS/N 18052621 · Built 1975Airframe modelCessna 180JEngine modelContinental O-470 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot states that he left big lake for a sight seeing flight near Sutton. Once over Sutton the pilot turned the aircraft to the southwest toward palmer (paq) and tuned the radio to the palmer information frequency. Shortly after he caught a quick dark flash out of the upper left portion of the windscreen and instinctively put the aircraft into a diving right turn. Pilot did not realize that the two aircraft had come in contact and stated that the airplane was still handling normally. After returning to CTAF frequency pilot states he heard an aircraft calling for "aircraft over the river near Sutton" to which he replied and attempted to get contact information from the other aircraft but the pilot did not respond. The return flight and landing at big lake was uneventful, and the pilot states that it wasn't until after he'd tied the aircraft down and was doing a final walk around that he saw the damage to the top outer portion of left wing which consisted of dented aircraft skin with black (presumably tire) marks near the left wing tip.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATES THAT HE LEFT BIG LAKE FOR A SIGHT SEEING FLIGHT NEAR SUTTON. ONCE OVER SUTTON THE PILOT TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE SOUTHWEST TOWARD PALMER (PAQ) AND TUNED THE RADIO TO THE PALMER INFORMATION FREQUENCY. SHORTLY AFTER HE CAUGHT A QUICK DARK FLASH OUT OF THE UPPER LEFT PORTION OF THE WINDSCREEN AND INSTINCTIVELY PUT THE AIRCRAFT INTO A DIVING RIGHT TURN. PILOT DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE TWO AIRCRAFT HAD COME IN CONTACT AND STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS STILL HANDLING NORMALLY. AFTER RETURNING TO CTAF FREQUENCY PILOT STATES HE HEARD AN AIRCRAFT CALLING FOR "AIRCRAFT OVER THE RIVER NEAR SUTTON" TO WHICH HE REPLIED AND ATTEMPTED TO GET CONTACT INFORMATION FROM THE OTHER AIRCRAFT BUT THE PILOT DID NOT RESPOND. THE RETURN FLIGHT AND LANDING AT BIG LAKE WAS UNEVENTFUL, AND THE PILOT STATES THAT IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER HE'D TIED THE AIRCRAFT DOWN AND WAS DOING A FINAL WALK AROUND THAT HE SAW THE DAMAGE TO THE TOP OUTER PORTION OF LEFT WING WHICH CONSISTED OF DENTED AIRCRAFT SKIN WITH BLACK (PRESUMABLY TIRE) MARKS NEAR THE LEFT WING TIP.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ANC22LA002Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportChickaloon, AKA mid-air collision for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.Oct 13, 2021 · 2 aircraft · Substantial damage