20250103000029A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Gippsaero PTY GA8 · Nightmute, AK · January 3, 2025

Date
January 3, 2025 · 17:30 local
Place
Nightmute, AK
Airport
Nightmute
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
ENHA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N916RK
NTSB investigation
NTSBANC25LA015
Reported as
Gippsaero PTY GA8
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,658 total

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 stated that he was landing at Nightmute runway 03 on final the winds were 24-27 knots right down the runway. He landed with no problem. He taxied to the ramp. As he was turning into the ramp area a gust of wind picked up the tail of the aircraft. The prop struck the ground and took the airplane off of the taxiway. He stated that he had the controls fully locked in the forward and left position. The airplane was tilted forward on the front wheel and had weather vained into the wind. He shut the airplane down and they attempted to exit the aircraft. Another gust of wind came and picked the airplane up and flipped it over. After they exited the airplane with no injuries. The company considers this a dispatching issue. Other pilots called in to inform dispatch that the winds were to strong to continue operations near the coast. This information was not disiminated to the pilot before this flight was dispatched. The hills near Nightmute cause circular rotor winds as noted by the medallion program.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS LANDING AT NIGHTMUTE RUNWAY 03 ON FINAL THE WINDS WERE 24-27 KNOTS RIGHT DOWN THE RUNWAY. HE LANDED WITH NO PROBLEM. HE TAXIED TO THE RAMP. AS HE WAS TURNING INTO THE RAMP AREA A GUST OF WIND PICKED UP THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND AND TOOK THE AIRPLANE OFF OF THE TAXIWAY. HE STATED THAT HE HAD THE CONTROLS FULLY LOCKED IN THE FORWARD AND LEFT POSITION. THE AIRPLANE WAS TILTED FORWARD ON THE FRONT WHEEL AND HAD WEATHER VAINED INTO THE WIND. HE SHUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN AND THEY ATTEMPTED TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT. ANOTHER GUST OF WIND CAME AND PICKED THE AIRPLANE UP AND FLIPPED IT OVER. AFTER THEY EXITED THE AIRPLANE WITH NO INJURIES. THE COMPANY CONSIDERS THIS A DISPATCHING ISSUE. OTHER PILOTS CALLED IN TO INFORM DISPATCH THAT THE WINDS WERE TO STRONG TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS NEAR THE COAST. THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT DISIMINATED TO THE PILOT BEFORE THIS FLIGHT WAS DISPATCHED. THE HILLS NEAR NIGHTMUTE CAUSE CIRCULAR ROTOR WINDS AS NOTED BY THE MEDALLION PROGRAM.

NTSB investigation

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