- Date
- January 16, 2026, 14:58 local (23:58 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N918MRBeech 65-A90-1
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260116000599A
- Case key
- 202309
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 failure to attain proper flare during landing resulting in a hard landing short of the runway threshold. Contributing to the accident were gusting wind conditions.
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
The pilot maneuvered the airplane onto the final approach leg of the traffic pattern; he reduced the power to slow the airplane and encountered a significant downdraft or windshear. The airplane impacted the ground about 150 feet short of the runway threshold. The nose and left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing contacted a snow berm which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N918MR
- Reported as
- Beech 65-A90-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LM-138
- Built
- 1970
- Airframe hours
- 14,750.2
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28, 550 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney PT6A-28, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Missionary Aviation Repair Center
- Registered owner
- MARC Aircraft Holding, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 26, 2025 · 32.9 hours before
- Departed
- PASX · Soldotna, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- MRI · Merrill Field, runway 16, 2,640 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Auto-pilot, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 3, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,777 total · 689 in this make and model · 2,226 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 7, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,340 total · 1,050 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 143 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 19 knots, gusting 34
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- PAMR
- METAR
- METAR PAMR 162253Z 18019G34KT 10SM FEW023 FEW050 02/M02 A2998 RMK AO2 PK WND 20041/2159 SLP152 P0019 T00171022
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2026, 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.