- Date
- December 17, 2012, 11:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Skwentna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N121KTDehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 3, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- Case key
- 85833
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 loss of control while landing in gusting wind conditions.
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 reported that when he departed, about 50 minutes before the accident, the wind was “light out of the north, northwest." As he continued the flight, the wind became variable southwest to northeast. Once he reached his destination, an off-airport snow-covered site, landing the wheel/ski-equipped airplane required a correction for a right quartering headwind that was gusting 20 to 25 knots. During the approach, about 20 to 25 feet above the site, the wind shifted to a tailwind. The airplane landed hard in a three-point attitude. A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed structural damage to the empennage. There were no reported preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that when he departed, about 50 minutes before the accident, the wind was “light out of the north, northwest." As he continued the flight, the wind became variable southwest to northeast. Once he reached his destination, an off-airport snow-covered site, landing the wheel/ski-equipped airplane required a correction for a right quartering headwind that was gusting 20 to 25 knots. During the approach, about 20 to 25 feet above the site, the wind shifted to a tailwind. The airplane landed hard in a three-point attitude. A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed structural damage to the empennage. There were no reported preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane landed hard in a three point attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N121KT
- Reported as
- Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1407
- Airframe hours
- 14,901
- Engine
- P&W R-985 SERIES, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Rustair Inc, doing business as Rust's Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Rustair Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2012
- Departed
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Skwentna, AK
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 11, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -2 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.40 inHg
- Observed at
- PASW, 25 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 5, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
Other investigations on N121KT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.