- Date
- August 18, 2012, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Coldfoot, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N319XMaule M-5-210C
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Fairbanks FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120818018309A
- Case key
- 84747
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 delayed decision to turn around while flying through a narrow mountain pass, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain.
Findings · 4
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 stated that he was attempting to fly through a narrow mountain pass when he realized that the clouds were obscuring the top of the pass. He decided that the pass was too narrow to turn around, so he elected to land the airplane on a gravel access road. During the landing roll, the airplane hit a ditch, veered to the left, and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was attempting to fly through a narrow mountain pass when he realized that the clouds were obscuring the top of the pass. He decided that the pass was too narrow to turn around, so he elected to land the airplane on a gravel access road. During the landing roll the airplane hit a ditch, veered to the left, and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N319X
- Reported as
- Maule M-5-210C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6146C
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-360 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PABT · Bettles, AK
- Destination
- PAGB · Galbraith Lake, 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
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 21, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,250 total · 40 in this make and model · 70 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °F
- Observed at
- PAGB, 21 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 773 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 N319X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.