- Date
- December 22, 2018, 18:30 local (Dec 23, 2018, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Big Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N93018Cessna A185
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20181223018699A
- Case key
- 98821
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 improper decision to land on a roadway during dark night conditions with inoperable landing and taxi lights, which resulted in an impact with a snow berm.
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 pilot, upon returning from a short sightseeing flight in his tailwheel-equipped airplane, the landing and taxi lights would not illuminate. Due to the dark night conditions and the inoperable landing and taxi lights, the pilot chose to land on a roadway rather than the short ice-covered, private airstrip that he had used for departure. Unbeknownst to the pilot, a snow berm had been placed in the roadway. During the landing roll, the airplane struck the snow berm and nosed over The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and rudder. The pilot reported that a postaccident examination revealed that the factory connection for the landing and taxi lights had failed at the 4-pin connector. The pilot reported no other mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that the accident might have been prevented if the flight had been limited to daylight operations.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, upon returning from a short sightseeing flight in his tailwheel-equipped airplane, the landing and taxi lights would not illuminate. Due to the dark night conditions and the inoperable landing and taxi lights, the pilot elected to land on a roadway rather than the short ice-covered private airstrip that had been used for departure. Unbeknownst to the pilot, a snow berm had been placed in the roadway. During the landing roll the airplane struck the snow berm and nosed over, substantially damaging the wings, horizontal stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that a postaccident examination revealed that the factory connection for the landing and taxi lights had failed at the 4-pin connector. The pilot reported no other mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation other than the inoperable landing and taxi lights. In the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented if the flight had been limited to daylight operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93018
- Reported as
- Cessna A185 (F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503161
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 3,940.4
- Engine
- Continental Motors IO-520D, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 20, 2018
- Departed
- Big Lake, AK
- Destination
- Big Lake, AK
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,190 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.62 inHg
- Observed at
- IYS
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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 N93018 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.