- Date
- January 3, 2025, 17:51 local (Jan 4, 2025, 02:51 UTC)
- Place
- Nightmute, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N916RKGippsaero PTY GA8
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: 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 - FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250103000029A
- Case key
- 199505
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 while taxiing in gusting wind conditions.
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 taxiing from the runway to the ramp after landing in gusting wind conditions, he was hit by a strong gust of wind and lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane exited the taxiway surface and came to rest on its left main wheel and nose. The airplane was then hit by a second gust of wind and nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N916RK
- Reported as
- Gippsaero PTY GA8
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- GA8-12-176
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 7,120.5
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Grant Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 27, 2024 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- EWU · Mertarvik, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- IGT · Nightmute AIrport, runway 3, 3,200 × 75 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,658 total · 454 in this make and model · 1,543 as pilot in command · 153 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 19 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- PABE, 87 nm away
- METAR
- PABE 040153Z 02019G25KT 10SM CLR M18/M23 A2979 RMK AO2 PK WND 02027/0136 SLP092 T11831228
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 12, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.7 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.