ANC94LA108

NTSB accident investigation · Stinson 108 · Salcha, AK · August 4, 1994

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
August 3, 1994, 18:00 local (Aug 4, 1994, 02:00 UTC)
Place
Salcha, AK
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N97294Stinson 108
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report January 26, 1995
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
FAA report
19940803024299A
Case key
2541

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 did not maintain control of the airplane. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of total experience in the specific make/model/type of aircraft.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - flare/touchdown
Aircraft control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Lack of total experience in type of aircraftPilot in commandFactor
Nose overLanding - flare/touchdown

Analysis

The private pilot with 65 total flight hours and 4.8 hours in the specific make/model was attempting to land his airplane at a private grass strip. On initial touchdown, the airplane bounced into the air. The plane's left wing struck some brush and the main landing gear contacted the runway again. The pilot reduced the plane's engine power to idle and applied the wheel brakes at which time the plane nosed over.

Factual narrative

On August 3, 1994, at 1800 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Stinson 108 airplane, N97294, owned and operated by the pilot-in-command, nosed over during a landing attempt on a private (no name) strip near Salcha, Alaska. The private certificated pilot and his one passenger, the sole occupants, were not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pleasure flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, last departed the Bradley Lake airstrip at North Pole, Alaska at 1730 and the intended destination was the private strip in Salcha. The pilot reported he did not file a flight plan and that visual meteorological conditions prevailed with clear skies and no wind.

The pilot reported that he made a three point landing and the airplane bounced into the air. The left wing contacted some brush and the main landing gear contacted the landing strip again. The pilot reduced the plane's engine power to idle while applying the wheel brakes and the airplane nosed over.

Aircraft

Registration
N97294
Reported as
Stinson 108
Category
Airplane
Serial number
108-294
Engine
Franklin 6A4-165-B3, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Loomis, Andrew D.
Registered owner
Loomis, Andrew D.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · November 11, 1993
Departed
95Z · Fairbanks, AK

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
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
65 total · 5 in this make and model · 30 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
7 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
81 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.