- Date
- April 4, 2009, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chickaloon, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N40684Maule M-4-210C
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 28, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration (Airworthiness)
- FAA report
- 20090404046869A
- Case key
- 73614
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 unsuitably rough and snow-covered landing area.
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 solo private pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane at an off-airport, snow-covered site. During the landing roll, the airplane bounced when it encountered a small snowdrift. The pilot said that he attempted to recover but the airplane drifted to the right and nosed over when it touched down in deep snow. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and wing lift struts. The pilot said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and noted in his report to the NTSB that he should have selected a better area to land on.
Factual narrative
The solo private pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane at an off-airport, snow-covered site. During the landing roll the airplane bounced when it encountered a small snowdrift. The pilot said he attempted to recover, but the airplane drifted to the right and nosed over when it touched down in deep snow. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and wing lift struts. The pilot said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and noted in his report to the NTSB that he should have selected a better area to land on.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40684
- Reported as
- Maule M-4-210C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1083C
- Airframe hours
- 1,155
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-360 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Johnson Jeff
- Registered owner
- Johnson Jeff
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 8, 2008 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Chickaloon, 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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 8, 2008
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 88 total · 18 in this make and model · 58 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 1, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 714 KB in all.
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 N40684 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.