# NTSB ANC05TA106: Cessna 185, N8360Q, Delta Junction, AK, July 6, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Final report - Date: July 6, 2005, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Delta Junction, AK - Coordinates: 64.391387, -144.274444 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.3914&lon=-144.2744&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Aviation Management Directorate, FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 62053 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC05TA106 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62053/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC05TA106 ## Probable cause The pilot's misjudged distance/altitude during the landing touchdown and subsequent undershoot, and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in an on-ground encounter with high vegetation. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Undershoot, landing - flare/touchdown - distance/altitude - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - high vegetation ## Analysis The airline transport certificated pilot was landing at a remote mining airstrip during a public use flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The airstrip slopes uphill, and is about 1,000 feet long, and about 16 feet wide. The pilot indicated that during the landing roll, the right main landing gear tire dropped into a rut, pulling the airplane to the right, into several willow trees. During an inspection of the airplane at a Department of Interior repair facility, inspectors discovered damage to an inboard stabilizer rib, which required a major repair. The accident airstrip was examined by an air safety investigator with the Department of the Interior, Aviation Management Directorate, Aviation Safety Division. The investigator reported that the airplane's tailwheel contacted the ground about 53 feet before the beginning of the airstrip. The main landing gear tires contacted the airstrip surface about 75 feet after the initial tailwheel strike. The propeller struck the ground about 52 feet beyond the approach end of the airstrip, and about 30 feet from the initial contact with the main wheels. Following the propeller strikes, the airplane veered to the right and ran through several 2 to 4 foot tall willow trees. ## Factual narrative On July 6, 2005, about 1300 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N8360Q, sustained substantial damage when it collided with small willow trees during the landing roll at a remote airstrip, about 44 miles northeast of Delta Junction, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) public use flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior, Anchorage, Alaska. The airline transport certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and VFR company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated at the Delta Junction Airport, about 1215. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on July 22, the pilot reported that he was landing toward the east at a remote mining airstrip that was about 2,300 feet msl. He was delivering fuel to the airstrip in support of helicopter operations in the area. The airstrip, known as Last Chance Airstrip, slopes uphill, and is about 1,000 feet long, and about 16 feet wide. The pilot indicated that during the landing roll, the right main landing gear tire dropped into a rut, pulling the airplane to the right, into several willow trees. The propeller was damaged, which was subsequently changed, and the airplane was flown to a repair facility. The Anchorage Chief, Division of Fleet Services for the Department of the Interior's, Aviation Management Directorate, reported that during an inspection of the airplane at their repair facility in Anchorage, inspectors found a small ripple in the underside of the right horizontal stabilizer skin. Further examination disclosed damage to an inboard stabilizer rib, which will require a major repair. The Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, contained a narrative report that was prepared by an air safety investigator with the Department of the Interior, Aviation Management Directorate, Aviation Safety Division. The investigator reported that during an examination of the airstrip, he noted that the airplane's tailwheel contacted the ground about 53 feet before the beginning of the airstrip. The main landing gear tires contacted the airstrip surface about 75 feet after the initial tailwheel strike. The propeller struck the ground about 52 feet beyond the approach end of the airstrip, and about 30 feet from the initial contact with the main wheels. Following the propeller strikes, the airplane veered to the right and ran through several 2 to 4 foot tall willow trees. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8360Q](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8360Q), registered now, S/N 18503666, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 185 - Registry model: [Cessna A185F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a185f) (registry code 2072821) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520-D](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-d) (registry code 17236, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18503666 - Airframe hours: 3844 - Engines: Continental IO-520D 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Public aircraft - federal, Part 91 - Operator: Bureau of Land Management - Registered owner: U.S. Department of the Interior - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2004, 99 hours before - Departed: D66, Delta Junction, AK - Destination: Delta Junction, AK - Flight plan: Company VFR - Airport: Last Chance Airstrip, runway 14, 1,000 × 16 ft, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: none; airline transport, commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 1, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 10,000 total, 800 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days, 60 in the last 30 days, 6 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 90° at 10 knots - Visibility: 20 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,000 ft broken - Temperature: 70 °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 20050706017469A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050706017469A), Jul 6, 2005: Cessna A185F, Delta Junction, AK, Minor damage. (-23) [privacy data omitted] the pilot [privacy data omitted]was operating into a known unimproved landing area, stated he encountered wind shear on short… 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.