# NTSB ANC00LA072: Cessna 180, N3229D, Port Alsworth, AK, June 21, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 20, 2000, 17:30 local (Jun 21, 2000, 01:30 UTC) - Place: Port Alsworth, AK - Coordinates: 60.199668, -154.280258 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=60.1997&lon=-154.2803&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 2, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 49488 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA072 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49488/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA072 ## Probable cause The fatigue failure of the left main landing gear leg at the main landing gear axle attachment bolt holes. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, landing - flare/touchdown - landing gear,main gear strut - failure,total (cause) - landing gear,main gear strut - fatigue (cause) - Nose over, landing - flare/touchdown ## Analysis The pilot was landing on his 1,200 feet long by 100 feet wide gravel airstrip. He stated to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that as soon as the airplane touched down, the left landing gear leg dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The left landing gear strut was missing the lower four inches, fracturing at the main landing gear axle attachment bolt holes. The left wheel assembly was located 200 feet from the wreckage. The pilot indicated the airplane had wheel-ski assemblies installed until one month prior to the accident. The lower section of the fractured landing gear leg was inspected at the NTSB materials laboratory on August 16, 2000. The four corners of the fractured bolt holes showed fatigue cracks starting from corrosion pits. Large amounts of corrosion pitting and oxidation were noted on the surface of the gear leg adjacent to the origin of the cracks. ## Factual narrative On June 20, 2000, at 1730 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180 airplane, N3229D, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing at the pilot's private airstrip at Miller Creek, 10 miles northeast of Port Alsworth, Alaska, at 60 degrees, 20 minutes north latitude, 154 degrees, 15 minutes west longitude. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, about 1600, for the accident site. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), during a telephone interview on June 20, that he was landing to the west on his 1,200 feet long by 100 feet wide airstrip. He indicated that he was aware of a dirt berm on the approach end of his airstrip, and he does not believe the airplane's wheels contacted the berm. He stated that as soon as the airplane touched down, the left landing gear leg dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over. He described a tire-sized scuff mark leading up to the wreckage on the right side, and a gouge in the dirt leading up to the wreckage on the left side. The left landing gear strut was missing the lower four inches, fracturing at the main landing gear axle attachment bolt holes. The left wheel assembly was located 200 feet from the wreckage. The pilot indicated the airplane had wheel-ski assemblies installed until one month prior to the accident. The lower section of the fractured landing gear leg was inspected at the NTSB materials laboratory on August 16, 2000. The four corners of the fractured bolt holes showed fatigue cracks starting from corrosion pits. Large amounts of corrosion pitting and oxidation were noted on the surface of the gear leg adjacent to the origin of the cracks. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3229D](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3229D-2013-07-11), registration cancelled 2013-07-11, S/N 32027, built 1955 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180 - Registry model: [Cessna 180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180) (registry code 2072602) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32027 - Airframe hours: 4854 - Engines: Continental O-470J 225 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Jay S. Hammond - Registered owner: Lake Clark Lodge, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 15, 2000, 3 hours before - Departed: MRI, ANCHORAGE, AK - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: Miller Creek, runway 23, 1,200 × 100 ft, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 77; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 20,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 20,000 as pilot in command, 100 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 230° at 5 knots - Visibility: 30 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 50 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000620042419A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000620042419A), Jun 20, 2000: Cessna 180, Port Alsworth, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) Upon landing at the pilot's Private airstrip at miller creek, Alaska (10 miles NE of Port Alsworth, Alaska), N3229D, a Cessna 180, sustained substantial… 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. --- 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.