- Date
- August 17, 2007, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bettles, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N717EMaule M7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20070817016399A
- Case key
- 66774
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in an encounter with soft terrain, and a nose over during the landing roll.
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.
Analysis
The private pilot related that he was landing on a remote, off-airport, up sloping ridge. During the landing, the tailwheel touched first, in soft terrain, and the nose pitched down quickly, resulting in the airplane nosing over, and substantial damage to the wings and rudder. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and that he should have selected a different landing site.
Factual narrative
The private pilot related that he was landing on a remote, off-airport, up sloping ridge. During the landing, the tailwheel touched first, in soft terrain, and the nose pitched down quickly, resulting in the airplane nosing over, and substantial damage to the wings and rudder. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and that he should have selected a different landing site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N717E
- Reported as
- Maule M7
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23071C
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Frank P. Ramsey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Bettles, AK
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.