# NTSB ANC05CA109: Maule MX7-180, N185DB, Yakutat, AK, July 27, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: July 26, 2005, 16:30 local (Jul 27, 2005, 00:30 UTC) - Place: Yakutat, AK - Coordinates: 58.89611, -137.936111 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=58.8961&lon=-137.9361&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 20, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-JNU FSDO 05 - NTSB case key (mKey): 62072 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC05CA109 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62072/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC05CA109 ## Probable cause The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over. A factor contributing to the accident was soft terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The airline transport certificated pilot was landing a tundra tire-equipped airplane on a remote beach. During the landing roll, the pilot said the right main landing gear tire encountered soft and steep terrain, and during his attempt to stop, the airplane nosed over. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and the vertical stabilizer. ## Factual narrative On July 26, 2005, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Maule MX7-180 airplane, N185DB, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during the landing roll at a remote beach, about 64 miles east of Yakutat, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The airline transport certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Gustavus Airport, Gustavus, Alaska, at 1551. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on July 27, the pilot reported that he dropped three hikers along the coast of Alaska, several days before the accident. Their plan was to hike north along the coast and be picked up by an air taxi operator. The hiking party encountered difficult terrain and could not proceed further. They attracted attention to their location by aerial flares, and by writing the name of the accident pilot's air taxi business in the sand. The pilot was notified of the hiker's actions by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and by the U.S. Coast Guard. The pilot responded to the area and decided to land on a beach area to lend assistance. During the landing roll, the pilot said the right main landing gear tire encountered soft and steep terrain, and during his attempt to stop, the airplane nosed over. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and the vertical stabilizer. After the accident, the pilot activated the airplane's emergency locator transmitter (ELT). A second airplane also landed to lend assistance, and it became mired in mud. The accident airplane did not return from the flight, and the FAA declared the flight overdue. The airplane's ELT signal was received by search and rescue personnel. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter located the accident site, and transported the pilot, the pilot of the second airplane, and the hikers to Sitka, Alaska. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N185DB](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N185DB-2007-05-02), registration cancelled 2007-05-02, S/N 11013C, built 1985 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Maule MX7-180 - Registry model: [Maule MX-7-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/maule-mx-7-180) (registry code 5460185) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 110136 - Airframe hours: 1259 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Steve R. Wilson - Registered owner: Wilson Leasing LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2005, 2 hours before - Departed: PAGS, Gustavus, AK - Destination: Yakutat, AK - Flight plan: VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 39; injuries: none; private, airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 11,600 total, 168 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days, 65 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 70° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 55 °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 20050726017319A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050726017319A), Jul 26, 2005: Maule MX7180, Yakutat, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot had reason to believe the hikers on the beach might have been in distress, so he attempted to make an off airport landing in their vicinity.… 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.