- Date
- April 22, 2023, 12:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Soldotna, AK · Snow covered gravel runway
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N454FUDehavilland Beaver DHC-2 MK.1
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- 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
- 20230422004969A
- Case key
- 107116
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 an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in the main landing gear wheels breaking through the snow and the airplane nosing over.
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, to avoid excessive wear on the airplane’s Bushwheels, he decided to not land on the paved runway and instead he landed on the snow-covered gravel runway. During landing, the airplane decelerated rapidly as the main wheels touched down into the snow. The airplane subsequently nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the right-wing lift struts and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N454FU
- Reported as
- Dehavilland Beaver DHC-2 MK.1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1193
- Built
- 1957
- Airframe hours
- 19,126.2
- Engines
- P&W R-985 SERIES, 450 horsepower, reciprocatingPratt and Whitney R-985 AN14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 2022 · 40.2 hours before
- Departed
- Polly Creek, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SXQ · Soldotna Airport, runway 25S, 2,300 × 60 ft, snow
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 167.3 total · 42.1 in this make and model · 121.6 as pilot in command · 15.2 in the last 90 days · 9.8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- PAEN, 9 nm away
- METAR
- PAEN 222053Z 24007KT 10SM SCT100 05/M02 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP099 T00501022 56014
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.