- Date
- May 28, 1993, 17:15 local (May 29, 1993, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bulchitna Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N80124Cessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19930528016139A
- Case key
- 2344
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 failure of the landing gear leg due to a fatigue fracture caused by corrosion.
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
The pilot-in-command stated he experienced a moderately hard landing and the right main wheel separated from the landing gear at the upper bolt holes which normally secure the axle to the landing gear leg. Metallurgical examination of the gear leg showed that the failure stemmed from area of fatigue cracking that initiated from crossion pitting in the bolt holes and exterior surfaces of the lower portion of the gear leg.
Factual narrative
On May 28, 1993, at 1715 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N80124, registered to and operated by the Pilot-in-Command, experienced a hard landing and subsequant landing gear failure at Sigley's private Airstrip located near Bulchitna Lake, Alaska. The business flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, last departed Kenai, Alaska, and the destination was the accident site. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Commercially Certificated Pilot-in-Command and the two passengers were not injured.
According to the Pilot-in-Command, he experienced a moderate hard landing and the right main gear broke away at the wheel axle upper bolt holes. The airplane settled onto the remaining gear leg, veered right, and nosed over.
Metallurigical examination of the fractured gear leg showed that the separation of the landing gear leg stemmed from areas of fatigue cracking that initiated from corrosion pitting in the bolt holes and exterior surfaces of the lower portion of the leg.
Further, the metallurgist stated that the gear leg was composed of high strength steel, a material that is susceptible to fracture in the presence of relatively small defects.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80124
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503094
- Airframe hours
- 5,826
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- White, Carl H., doing business as White'S Air Service
- Registered owner
- White, Carl H.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 19, 1993 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- ENA · Kenai, AK
- Airport
- Sigley'S Pvt Airstrip, runway 36, 1,100 × 30 ft, grass/turf
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,761 total · 3,100 in this make and model · 3,637 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N80124 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.