ANC05CA138

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 180 · Aniak, AK · September 6, 2005

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
September 6, 2005, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
Place
Aniak, AK
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N8624XCessna 180
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 20, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Case key
62411

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a collision with brush during the landing flare. A factor contributing to the accident was high vegetation.

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.

In flight collision with terrain/waterLanding - flare/touchdown
Unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selectedPilot in commandCause
Terrain condition - high vegetationFactor
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was landing at a remote airstrip. During the landing flare, the private pilot reported that the left wing of the airplane collided with high brush, and during the subsequent impact with terrain, the airplane received damage to the right wing, the right main landing gear, the propeller, and the stabilizer.

Factual narrative

On September 6, 2005, about 1530 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N8624X, sustained substantial damage when it collided with bushes and the ground during the landing approach to a remote airstrip, about 53 miles southeast of Aniak, 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 airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and 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 September 7, the pilot's spouse reported that the pilot made a satellite phone call to her to report the accident. The pilot indicated that during the landing flare, the left wing of the airplane collided with high brush. During the subsequent impact with the ground, the airplane received damage to the right wing, the right main landing gear, the propeller, and the stabilizer.

Aircraft

Registration
N8624X
Reported as
Cessna 180
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18051024
Engine
Continental O-470-L, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Jason W. Brooks
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
Port Alsworth, AK
Destination
Aniak, AK
Airport
N/A · Cinnabar

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
36
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3
Flight hours
415 total · 268 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day

Other investigations on N8624X · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.