- Date
- April 29, 2005, 20:30 local (Apr 30, 2005, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5061GBellanca 7GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20050429011439A
- Case key
- 61395
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 unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a loss of control during the landing roll, and a collision with willows and a creek bank. A factor associated with the accident was the soft landing area.
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 private pilot was landing on a remote airstrip next to a river when the left main wheel encountered a soft spot, which pulled the airplane to the left toward a deep gully and creek. The pilot applied power to get over the gully and creek, but the airplane encountered a patch of willows, and settled into the creek, striking the bank. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and landing gear.
Factual narrative
On April 29, 2005, about 2030 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Bellanca 7GCBC airplane, N5061G, sustained substantial damage when it encountered soft terrain during the landing roll at a remote airstrip, about 25 miles southeast of Palmer, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) local personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The private certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 30, the pilot said he was landing on a remote airstrip when his left tire hit a soft spot and "pulled me to the left." He said the airplane was headed for a deep gully and creek so he added power to get over the creek, and keep the airplane from nosing over. He said the airplane encountered willows and descended into the creek where it collided with the bank. He said the airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5061G
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1167-79
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David B. More
- Registered owner
- Danyelle Lowry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PAWS · Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- Palmer, 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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 697 total · 470 in this make and model · 76 in the last 90 days · 74 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
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 N5061G · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.