- Date
- December 10, 1989, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Becky Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6220MMaule M-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19891210050389A
- Case key
- 5329
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
Fatigue failure of the ski attach fitting due to being fabricated locally from the wrong steel which resulted in the airplane nosing over.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Ski forward attached fitting (Maule p/n 9027B) for left ski safety & rigging cables failed in fatigue. During ski installation in 1985, one of the fittings was missing & had to be fabricated locally. Tests indicated fitting made from wrong steel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6220M
- Reported as
- Maule M-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7195C
- Airframe hours
- 1,150
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-J1A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William F. Spear
- Registered owner
- William F Spear
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 27, 1989 · 59 hours before
- Destination
- ENN · Nenana, AK
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.