ANC05LA041

The commercial certificated pilot was landing on a snow-covered runway during night visual meteorological conditions. The pilot indicated that when the nose wheel was lowered to the runway after the main landing gear wheels touched down, the airplane suddenly veered to the left. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, and the left wing struck a snow berm. The nose gear strut was displaced when a strut side brace fractured during the accident, and the left wing received damage to the outboard rib, and leading edge of the wingtip. The pilot reported the wind condition as 140 degrees at 5 knots. The operator's director of maintenance reported that during the repair of the nose gear assembly, he found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction. The runway is 2,120 feet long and 35 feet wide, and the FAA Airport/Facility Directory, Alaska Supplement, states, in part: Unattended. Caution: Runway condition not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to using. Caution: Frequent crosswinds.

On February 15, 2005, about 2008 Alaska standard time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 207 airplane, N36CF, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a snow berm during the landing touchdown at Kipnuk, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled domestic flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated as Flight 585 by Yute Air Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot was not injured, and the sole passenger received minor injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company VFR flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated at the Chefornak Airport, Chefornak, Alaska, about 1953.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on February 15, the director of operations for the operator reported that the pilot was landing on runway 15 at Kipnuk. He said the pilot indicated that when the nose wheel was lowered to the runway after the main landing gear wheels touched down, the airplane suddenly veered to the left. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, and the left wing struck a snow berm. The nose gear strut was displaced when a side brace fractured during the accident, and the left wing received damage to the outboard rib, and leading edge of the wingtip. The propeller received tip damage. The pilot reported the wind condition as 140 degrees at 5 knots. An agent for the operator provided weather information to the company. At the time of the accident, the runway was covered by packed snow.

During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on March 4, the operator's director of maintenance reported that the left wing repair included replacement of an 18-inch segment of the outboard end of the wing, to include replacement of a wing rib at wing station 208, and repair of upper and lower wing sections near wing station 190. On July 22, 2005, the director of maintenance reported that during the repair of the nose gear assembly, he found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.

The Kipnuk airport has a single gravel surface runway on a 150 and 330 degree magnetic orientation. It is 2,120 feet long and 35 feet wide, and is equipped with radio activated medium intensity runway lights. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Facility Directory, Alaska Supplement, airport information remarks for Kipnuk, states, in part: Unattended. Caution: Runway condition not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to using. Caution: Frequent crosswinds.