- Date
- October 3, 2018, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gambell, AK
- Injuries
- 9 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N575QBeech 1900
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20181003016629A
- Case key
- 98451
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 unstabilized approach and improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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
According to the flight crew, the instrument approach was flown above the glideslope in anticipation of mechanical turbulence. As the airplane descended through 500 ft, the pilot monitoring notified the pilot flying that the airplane was high on the approach. The airplane continued the approach above the glideslope, and the landing flare was conducted too high, which resulted in an excessive sink rate. The pilot flying attempted to arrest the sink rate but was unable to do so, and the airplane landed harder than expected, which resulted in a tail strike and substantial damage to the lower aft fuselage.
Factual narrative
According to the flight crew, the instrument approach was flown above the glide slope in anticipation of mechanical turbulence. As the airplane descended through 500 ft, the pilot monitoring notified the pilot flying, that the airplane was high on the approach. The airplane continued the approach above the glide slope and the landing flare was conducted too high, which resulted in an excessive sink rate. The pilot flying attempted to arrest the sink rate but was unable, and the airplane landed harder than expected, striking the tail, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower aft fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N575Q
- Reported as
- Beech 1900 (C)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- UC-160
- Built
- 1991
- Airframe hours
- 47,493.9
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65B, 1,173 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney PT6A SER, 1,173 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Hageland Aviation
- Registered owner
- Icecap LLC Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 11, 2018
- Departed
- OME · Nome, AK
- Destination
- GAM · Gambell, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GAM · Gambell, runway 16, 4,499 × 96 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 7, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 4,415 total · 220 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 3, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 11,081 total · 686 in this make and model · 11,052 as pilot in command · 337 in the last 90 days · 105 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 21 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.20 inHg
- Observed at
- PAGM
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 29, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 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.