# NTSB ANC00LA113: Stinson 108-3, N603C, Yakutat, AK, September 5, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 5, 2000, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Yakutat, AK - Coordinates: 59.509586, -139.709457 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=59.5096&lon=-139.7095&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 2, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 50987 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA113 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50987/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA113 ## Probable cause The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. Factors associated with the accident were the oil sprayed windshield, the sunglare, and an object in the water which the pilot did not see. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water collision with object, landing - flare/touchdown - object - undetermined (contributing factor) - light condition - sunglare (contributing factor) - window,flight compartment window/windshield - dirty(foggy) (contributing factor) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The pilot said that while landing there was glare from the water, and oil spray on the windscreen. He described the seaplane touching down, and immediately flipping over. He stated that he does not know if he dragged one of the float tips in the water, or struck an object which he could not see in the sun glare. Postaccident inspection by an FAA inspector revealed damage to the right float bottom from possibly impacting an object in the water. ## Factual narrative On September 5, 2000, about 1530 Alaska daylight time, a Stinson 108-3 float equipped airplane, N603C, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing at the Yakutat Harbor Seaplane Base, Yakutat, Alaska. The private pilot and the sole passenger on board were not injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed Cordova, Alaska, at 1301 for Yakutat. 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 during a telephone interview on September 5, that while landing there was glare from the water. He described the airplane touching down, and immediately flipping over. He stated that he does not know if he dragged one of the float tips in the water, or struck an object which he could not see in the sun glare. The airplane sustained substantial damage to wings, and empennage. The pilot noted in his NTSB pilot/operator report that there was light oil on the windscreen, further obstructing his vision. He said he became aware of the oil during the leg from Cordova to Yakutat, but that engine oil pressure and temperature remained normal during the flight. Postaccident inspection by an FAA inspector revealed damage to the right float bottom from possibly impacting an object in the water. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N603C](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N603C), registered now, S/N 108-3603, built 1947 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Stinson 108-3 - Registry model: [Universal Stinson 108-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/universal-stinson-108-3) (registry code 9230418) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Franklin 6A4165 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/franklin-6a4165-series) (registry code 27025, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 108-3603 - Engines: Franklin 6AS-350-A 250 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: John P. Gross - Registered owner: John P. Gross - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 20, 2000, 25 hours before - Departed: CKU, CORDOVA, AK - Destination: 2Y3 - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: 2Y3, Yakutat Seaplane Base, runway 31, 7,500 × 0 ft, water ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 250 total, 25 in this make and model, 200 as pilot in command, 25 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 3,000 ft broken - Temperature: 50 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: YAK, 4 nm away ## 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 20000905042499A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000905042499A), Sep 5, 2000: Univar 1083, Yakutat, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot landed hard and slightly yawed causing the a/c to cartwheel on the water. A contributing factor was the sun's glare on the a/c's dirty… 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.