# NTSB ANC02LA072: Cessna 180, N2162Z, Fairbanks, AK, June 8, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 8, 2002, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC) - Place: Fairbanks, AK - Coordinates: 64.366668, -147.366668 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.3667&lon=-147.3667&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-FAI FSDO 01 - NTSB case key (mKey): 55177 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC02LA072 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55177/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55177 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC02LA072 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll which resulted in the left wing striking the ground. A factor contributing to the accident was the grass-covered runway surface. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - grass (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - inadvertent, pilot in command - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The airline transport certificated pilot was landing the tundra tire-equipped airplane on a remote turf airstrip. The pilot said he landed toward the southeast, and during the landing roll, the airplane yawed slightly to the left. He applied the right brake, but the airplane began to slide to the left on the grass-covered runway. The left tire went into an area of willows located along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane's right brake suddenly became effective, and the airplane yawed/ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the ground, and the left wingtip was bent upward about 10 degrees. The airplane received damage to the left wing spar, the left aileron, and the fuselage. ## Factual narrative On June 8, 2002, about 1430 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N2162Z, sustained substantial damage when the left wing struck the ground during landing at a remote turf airstrip, about 30 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The airline transport certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Bradley Sky Ranch Airport, North Pole, Alaska, about 1410. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 8, the pilot reported that he was landing on a turf airstrip at Blair Lake, Alaska. The pilot said the airstrip is oriented southeast/northwest, and is about 2,300 feet long, by about 10 feet wide. The pilot said he landed toward the southeast, and during the landing roll, the airplane yawed slightly to the left. He applied the right brake, but the airplane began to slide to the left on the grass-covered runway. The left tire went into an area of willows located along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane's right brake suddenly became effective, and the airplane yawed/ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the ground, and the left wingtip was bent upward about 10 degrees. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, the pilot reported the airstrip was 1,500 feet long and 60 feet wide. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, Fairbanks Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), examined the airplane on July 9, 2002, as it was undergoing repair. The inspector reported the airplane's left wing spar was bent and subsequently spliced, the left aileron was bent, and fuselage stringers required repair. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2162Z](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2162Z), registered now, S/N 18051262 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180 - Registry model: [Cessna 180F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180f) (registry code 2072614) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18051262 - Airframe hours: 4400 - Engines: CONTINENTAL O-470-R 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Benjamin K. Baker - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 31, 2002, 20 hours before - Departed: 95Z, NORTH POLE, AK - Destination: 2AK1, FAIRBANKS, AK - Airport: 2AK1, Blair Lake, runway 12, 1,500 × 60 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 41; injuries: none; military, airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review January 17, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 3,976 total, 165 in this make and model, 2,610 as pilot in command, 50 in the last 90 days, 17 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 5 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 15,000 ft broken - Temperature: 70 °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 20020608013929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020608013929A), Jun 8, 2002: Cessna 180F, Fairbanks/Ft Wa, AK, No damage. (-23) [privacy data omitted]. As the airplane touched down on the landing area it veered to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and brake to stop the turn… ## Other investigations on N2162Z (4) 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. - [NTSB ANC09CA057](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC09CA057), Jun 15, 2009: Cessna 180F (N2162Z), King Salmon, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing, resulting in a ground loop and substantial damage to the airplane. - [NTSB ANC03LA122](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC03LA122), Sep 18, 2003: Cessna 180 (N2162Z), Cape Yakataga, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for departure, which resulted in a collision with a log during the takeoff roll. Factors contribuiting to the accident were the presence of hidden… - [NTSB ANC78DAG65](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC78DAG65), May 11, 1978: Cessna 180 (N2162Z), Anchorage, AK, substantial damage - [NTSB ANC77DAG44](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC77DAG44), Mar 20, 1977: Cessna 180 (N2162Z), Kenai, AK, substantial damage ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 9, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55177. 606 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 606 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40443356&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF 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.