- Date
- March 28, 2001, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Iliamna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N91303Cessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20010328039589A
- Case key
- 53191
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A factor associated with the accident was uneven terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The certificated airline transport pilot reported that he was landing to the northeast on a frozen slough. He said that after touchdown, he noted a football-sized clump of dirt protruding out of the ice in front of the airplane. He said that in an attempt to avoid the dirt clump, he applied full left rudder. He said that the nose of the airplane moved about 20 degrees to the left, but the ground track of the airplane continued in a straight line, and the right ski struck the dirt clump. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the surface of the frozen slough. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing leading edge and right wing main spar.
Factual narrative
On March 28, 2001, about 1300 Alaska standard time, a wheel/ski equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N91303, sustained substantial damage while landing at an off airport site located about 60 miles west of Iliamna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated airline transport pilot, and the one passenger aboard, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1200, from the Iliamna Airport, Iliamna.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on April 11, the pilot reported that he was landing to the northeast on a frozen slough. He said that after touchdown, he noted a football-sized clump of dirt protruding out of the ice in front of the airplane. He said that in an attempt to avoid the dirt clump, he applied full left rudder. He said that the nose of the airplane moved about 20 degrees to the left, but the ground track of the airplane continued in a straight line, and the right ski struck the dirt clump. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the surface of the frozen slough. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing leading edge and right wing main spar.
The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91303
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 180-52039
- Airframe hours
- 3,354.3
- Engine
- Continental O-520, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Albert I. Novak
- Registered owner
- Deborah L. Novak
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 22, 2001 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- ILI · Iliamna, AK
- Destination
- Iliamna, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 25, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 33,500 total · 565 in this make and model · 32,000 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1,000 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N91303 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.