- Date
- July 13, 2013, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N93957Cessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Anchorage FAA FSDO Inspector- Operations
- FAA report
- 20130713015379A
- Case key
- 87482
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 of the airplane while landing in variable 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 was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane at an off-airport beach landing site. The pilot said that, before landing, he checked the wind conditions with pilots on the ground at the remote beach site, where he had landed many times before. He said that, after the airplane touched down, he encountered windshear in which the wind direction changed to a tailwind that got up under the airplane's tail. The pilot said that the airplane suddenly veered left, did not respond to his control inputs, and was not in a position that would enable a go-around attempt. He said that the airplane flipped over, sustaining damage to the landing gear, wing, vertical stabilizer, fuselage, and propeller. 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 an off-airport beach landing site. The pilot said that, before landing, he checked the wind conditions with pilots on the ground at the remote beach site, where he had landed many times before. He said that, after the airplane touched down, he encountered windshear in which the wind direction changed to a tailwind that got up under the airplane's tail. The pilot said that the airplane suddenly veered left, did not respond to his control inputs, and was not in a position that would enable a go-around attempt. He said that the airplane flipped over, sustaining damage to the landing gear, wing, vertical stabilizer, fuselage, and propeller. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93957
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503270
- Airframe hours
- 2,328
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 8, 2013
- Departed
- PAMR · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- PAEN · Kenai, AK
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- none
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 10, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,299 total · 97 in this make and model · 21 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- PAEN, 39 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 26, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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.