- Date
- April 7, 2021, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lime Village, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1291DCessna 170A
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- 20210407004919A
- Case key
- 102922
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
Findings · 4
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 landing off-airport on snow-covered terrain, in flat light conditions, the terrain was “rougher” than he expected. Subsequently, during the landing roll, the airplane encountered a “bump”, the right ski penetrated the surface of the snow, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1291D
- Reported as
- Cessna 170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19867
- Built
- 1951
- Airframe hours
- 1,180.1
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David A. Hensel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 6, 2020
- Departed
- Big Lake, AK
- Destination
- Stoney River, AK
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- January 22, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 608.7 total · 531.1 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- PASV, 22 nm away
- METAR
- PASV 071755Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM -SHSN OVC026 M08/M10 A3004 RMK AO2 SHSNB1626 SLP210 P0000 60000 T10831097 11079 21089 57020
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 824 KB 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.