- Date
- March 17, 2013, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Big Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5942HPiper PA-16
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 24, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130317003249A
- Case key
- 86458
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 decision to land on unsuitable terrain.
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
The pilot was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a 1,400-foot-long, remote airstrip located on a frozen, snow-covered lake. According to the pilot, the surface of the airstrip appeared to be hard, compacted snow with a turn-around at its south end. Before beginning the approach, the pilot determined a touchdown point in the turn-around area to afford maximum use of the landing surface. After touchdown, the main wheels sank into the snow, and the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder, lift struts, and wings. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot realized that the turn-around area was loose, soft snow that had not been compacted. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane at a 1,400-foot-long, remote airstrip located on a frozen snow-covered lake. The surface of the airstrip appeared to be hard compacted snow with a turn-around at the south end of the airstrip. Before beginning the approach he determined a touchdown point in the turn-around area to afford maximum use of the landing surface. After touchdown the main wheels sank into the soft snow, and the airplane nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the rudder, lift struts and wings. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot realized that the turn-around area was loose soft snow that had not been compacted. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5942H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-16
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 16-564
- Airframe hours
- 3,407
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235 SERIES, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ylvisaker Robert G
- Registered owner
- Ylvisaker Robert G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 20, 2012
- Departed
- PAAQ · Palmer, AK
- Destination
- PVT · Big Lake, AK
- Airport
- PVT · Private, runway 18, 1,400 × 40 ft, snow
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
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 27, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,908 total · 171 in this make and model · 3,751 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- PAAQ, 36 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 18, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB 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 N5942H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.