- Date
- August 9, 2008, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Northway, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2975QBellanca 8GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080809843999A
- Case key
- 69172
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 inadequate evaluation of weather conditions while landing, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor contributing to the accident was a tailwind.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane at an off airport site, adjacent to a small stream. He said that he approached the site from an upstream direction, and during touchdown the airplane landed hard, bounced, and he aborted the landing. During the second landing, he approached the site from a downstream direction, and during the landing roll, he discovered that the airplane's tailwheel was missing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. In his written report to the NTSB the pilot noted that after landing, he discovered that there was a slight breeze from an upstream direction. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. In the recommendation part of his written report, the pilot noted that the accident might have been prevented if he had taken more time to verify runway and wind conditions before landing, and operated the airplane at a lower gross weight.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane at an off airport site, adjacent to a small stream. He said that he approached the site from an upstream direction, and during touchdown the airplane landed hard, bounced, and he aborted the landing. During the second landing, he approached the site from a downstream direction, and during the landing roll, he discovered that the airplane's tailwheel was missing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. In his written report to the NTSB the pilot noted that after landing, he discovered that there was a slight breeze from an upstream direction. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. In the recommendation part of his written report, the pilot noted that the accident might have been prevented if he had taken more time to verify runway and wind conditions before landing, and operated the airplane at a lower gross weight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2975Q
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 346-80
- Airframe hours
- 3,141
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Worker Timothy M
- Registered owner
- Worker Timothy M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 12, 2008
- Departed
- ORT · Northway, AK
- Destination
- Northway, AK
- Flight plan
- Unknown
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 23, 2008
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,638 total · 1,188 in this make and model · 1,478 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2975Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.