- Date
- March 5, 2011, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Montana Creek, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N447AFCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 78513
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 failure to recognize that he was landing at the wrong airstrip on a snow-covered and unplowed runway, resulting in the airplane nosing over.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, he was flying from one airport to another using a highway as a reference. He saw an airport that he thought was his destination airport and made a straight-in approach for landing. Just before touching down, he realized that he was not landing at the correct airport and instead was landing on a snow-covered and unplowed private airstrip. He realized that he did not have time to go around and landed on the snow. The airplane crossed a snow machine track and nosed over. The engine firewall and both wings sustained substantial damage.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was flying from one airport to another using a highway as a reference. He saw an airport that he thought was the destination airport, and made a straight-in approach for landing. Just before touching down, the pilot realized that he was not landing at the correct airport, and was landing on a snow-covered and unplowed private airstrip. He stated that he did not have time to go around, and landed on the snow. The airplane crossed a snow machine track and nosed over. The engine firewall and both wings sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N447AF
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280447
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Elmendorf Air Force Base Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Elmendorf Air Force Base Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- PAUO · Willow, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 249 total · 134 in this make and model · 180 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 3 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point -4 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- PATK, 17 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 29, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 984 KB in all.