ANC13CA023

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-31-350 · Dutch Harbor, AK · February 16, 2013

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
February 16, 2013, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC)
Place
Dutch Harbor, AK
Injuries
3 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N15PRPiper PA-31-350
Defining event
Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report June 12, 2013
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Parties
FAA FSDO-03
FAA report
20130216002649A
Case key
86236

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's decision to land in wind conditions that exceeded the airplane's demonstrated crosswind capability, which resulted in a loss of airplane control during the landing roll.

Findings · 5

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.

Aircraft capability: maximum crosswind componentAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Capability exceededPiper PA-31-350: 1 caseAll aircraft: 21 casesProbable cause
Wind: gustsEnvironmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Contributed to outcomePiper PA-31-350: 3 casesAll aircraft: 1,199 cases

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 airline transport pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight in a twin-engine airplane with two passengers aboard. He reported that during the flight the weather began changing and he arrived at the destination airport in unforecast deteriorating weather conditions. Unable to circle to land into the wind, the pilot elected to land on runway 12 with a gusting quartering right tailwind. During the landing roll, a wind gust pushed the nose of the airplane to the right, and the airplane began to slide momentarily on an icy patch on the runway. While sliding sideways, the left main landing gear contacted bare pavement, which resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear. As a result, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The wind at the airport before landing was reported to be out of 339 degrees at 26 knots, with gusts to 35 knots. According to the pilot operating handbook for the accident airplane, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane is 20 knots, and a plot of the current wind conditions at the time of the accident showed that the crosswind component for the accident landing was 30 knots, 10 knots above the maximum demonstrated component. No preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were reported.

Factual narrative

The airline transport pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight, in a twin-engine airplane, with two passengers aboard. During the flight, he reported that the weather began changing, and he arrived at the destination airport in deteriorating weather conditions. Unable to circle to land into the wind, he elected to land on runway 12 in gusting wind conditions, requiring a correction for a quartering right tailwind. During the landing roll, a wind gust pushed the nose of the airplane to the right, and the airplane began to slide momentary on an icy patch on the runway. While sliding sideways, the left main landing gear then contacted bare pavement, which loaded the left main landing gear strut, resulting in the collapse of the left main landing gear. As a result, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Winds at the airport prior to landing were reported as 339 degrees magnetic at 26 knots, with gusts to 35 knots. According to the pilot operating handbook for the accident airplane, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane is 20 knots, and a plot of the current wind conditions at the time of the accident showed that the crosswind component for the accident landing was 30 knots, 10 knots above the maximum demonstrated component. No preaccident mechanical anomalies were reported.

Aircraft

Registration
N15PR
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
Category
Airplane
Serial number
31-8352011
Airframe hours
15,247
Engines
Lycoming TIO-540 SER, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TI0-540 SER, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Part 135
Operator
Grant Aviation Inc, doing business as Grant Aviation
Registered owner
Limbo LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
AAIP · February 8, 2013
Departed
PAUT · Akutan, AK
Destination
PADU · Dutch Harbor, AK
Flight plan
Company VFR
Airport
PADU · Unalaska, runway 12, 3,900 × 100 ft, asphalt

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
39
Injuries
None
Certificates
Airline transport, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
January 24, 2013
Seat
Left
Flight hours
6,007 total · 489 in this make and model · 5,843 as pilot in command · 139 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
339° at 26 knots, gusting 35
Visibility
5 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
1,200 ft overcast
Temperature
30 °F, dew point 28 °F
Altimeter
29.54 inHg

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 246 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.