- Date
- March 12, 2021, 16:45 local (Mar 13, 2021, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Chevak, AK · VAK
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N407GVCessna 208B
- Defining event
- Taxi-into takeoff position: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20210312002319A
- Case key
- 102764
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 directional control during the back-taxi for departure in strong crosswind conditions which resulted in a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was the snow-and-ice-covered runway.
Findings · 6
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 reported that, while back-taxiing for departure, on a snow-and-ice-covered runway in a strong crosswind, the airplane began to slide towards the left side of the runway. He corrected for the slide back towards the runway center line, but the airplane encountered a “violent gust of wind” and began to slide again. He applied right brake and right rudder while leaving in full right aileron, but the airplane had zero braking action. As the airplane continued to slide, he applied engine power in an attempt to increase the rudder authority and “correct the direction back towards the runway” to no avail. Subsequently, the airplane slid off the left side of the runway, the left wheel impacted a snowbank, and the airplane “tipped” to the left. The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude, banked to the left at about a 40° angle, and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aileron. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the weather at the accident airport, about the time of the accident, was wind from 120° at 20 knots. The pilot was back taxiing on runway 20.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N407GV
- Reported as
- Cessna 208B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 208B0616
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 27,418.2
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-114A, 675 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Grant Aviation, doing business as Grant Aviation
- Registered owner
- Avion Capital Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 13, 2021
- Destination
- BET · Bethel, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- VAK · Chevak, runway 02-20, 3,220 × 75 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 7, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,643 total · 645 in this make and model · 2,551 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 34 knots, gusting 42
- Visibility
- 0.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- PACZ, 19 nm away
- METAR
- PACZ 130155Z AUTO 14034G42KT 1/2SM -FZRA FG BKN007 BKN043 M08/M10 A3031
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 N407GV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.