# NTSB ANC04LA081: Cessna 120, N1847N, Beluga, AK, July 18, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 17, 2004, 18:00 local (Jul 18, 2004, 02:00 UTC) - Place: Beluga, AK - Coordinates: 55.919601, -159.489929 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=55.9196&lon=-159.4899&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 3, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 59691 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC04LA081 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59691/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC04LA081 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in airplane departing the landing surface into a ditch, and subsequently nosing over in tall bushes. A factor contributing to the accident was soft terrain along the edge of the landing 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 - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - ditch - terrain condition - high vegetation - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The private certificated pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a gravel road. The pilot said the road was about 2,000 to 3,000 feet long, with about 3 feet of road surface on either side of the main landing gear tires. He said that during the landing roll, the left main tire encountered soft gravel along the left edge of the road, and the airplane was pulled to the left. The left wing subsequently collided with several bushes, and the airplane was pulled further to the left and into a ditch, where it nosed over. The airplane received structural damage to the leading edge of the right wing, and the aft right wing lift strut. ## Factual narrative On July 17, 2004, about 1800 Alaska daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped Cessna 120 airplane, N1847N, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over after colliding with bushes and a ditch following a loss of control during the landing roll, about 10 miles northeast of Beluga, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. No flight plan was filed, nor was one required. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on July 20, the pilot reported that he was landing toward the south on a gravel road near several oil wells, located in the vicinity of the Theodore River. The pilot said the road was about 2,000 to 3,000 feet long, with about 3 feet of road surface on either side of the main landing gear tires. The pilot said that during the landing roll, the left main tire encountered soft gravel along the left edge of the road. The airplane pulled to the left, and the left wing collided with several bushes. The airplane was pulled further to the left and into a ditch. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the leading edge of the right wing, and the aft right wing lift strut. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1847N](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1847N), registered now, S/N 12091 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 120 - Registry model: [Cessna 120](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-120) (registry code 2071402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C85 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (registry code 17008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 12091 - Airframe hours: 3318 - Engines: Continental C-85-12 85 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Matthew P. Voit - Registered owner: Steven Boit - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 11, 2003, 160 hours before - Departed: PAMR, Anchorage, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 20; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review June 20, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 234 total, 160 in this make and model, 190 as pilot in command, 35 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 30 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °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 20040717018409A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040717018409A), Jul 17, 2004: Cessna 120, Anchorage, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot in command landed on an off airport abandoned runway. As the aircraft decelerated after touchdown, the aircraft entered soft gravel causing the… 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.