ANC05TA058

The airline transport pilot was conducting a federal public use flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when he landed a ski-equipped airplane on a glacier. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot reported exiting the landing area in a wide right-hand turn attempting to keep high on the slope, and avoid a depression on the steeply sloping terrain. He wrote that when the tailwheel started to slide downhill, he added power to increase rudder authority, and shallowed the right turn, hoping to avoid a depression. He reported that the airplane crossed over the depression, and upon "touching down on the far side" the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the snow. The pilot reported that the right wing and forward fuselage sustained structural damage. According to the pilot, there were no known preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

On April 15, 2005, about 1300 Alaska daylight time, a ski-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 airplane, N8190Y, sustained substantial damage during an on-ground encounter with terrain while taxiing from landing on a glacier, about 50 miles northwest of Talkeetna, Alaska. The airplane and pilot were provided by Talkeetna Air Taxi, inc., and the flight was being operated by the National Park Service, Talkeetna, as a visual flight rules (VFR) federal public use flight when the accident occurred. The airline transport pilot was not injured, and the two passengers received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight departed Talkeetna about 1245.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 18, the pilot said that after landing, while taxiing to an area of the glacier to unload cargo and the two passengers, both National Park employees, he noticed a crevasse in his taxi path. He said he was unable to avoid the crevasse, and applied power to "leap-frog" over the crevasse. He said when the airplane landed on the opposite side of the crevasse, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the snow. The right wing and forward fuselage sustained structural damage. The pilot said there were no known preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

In a subsequent written statement to the NTSB dated April 17, the pilot reported that he exited the landing area in a wide right-hand turn attempting to keep high on the slope, and avoid a depression on the steeply sloping terrain. He wrote that when the tailwheel started to slide downhill, he added power to increase rudder authority, and shallowed the right turn, hoping to avoid the depression that was hidden by the crown of the hill. He wrote that the airplane crossed over the depression, and upon "touching down on the far side" the right main landing gear collapsed.