- Date
- September 6, 1995, 07:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N37EWCessna 206
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report April 29, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950906027949A
- Case key
- 2732
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 inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, which resulted in his failure to reach the proper touchdown point for landing. Factors related to the accident were: the variable wind condition, and rising terrain (no overrun) at the approach end of the runway.
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
According to the pilot's statement, he was flying to Bear Cove to position the airplane for a passenger pickup. He aligned the airplane to land to the west into the wind. On short final the windsock went limp, and the airplane struck the runway's threshold, which was situated on a bluff. Subsequently, the nose gear sheared off, and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On September 6, 1995, at 0715 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N37EW, operated by Homer Air Service of Homer, Alaska, undershot the landing airstrip and nosed over during a landing attempt on a remote airstrip locally known as "Bear Cove" which is located in Bear Cove at the head of Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The positioning flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Seldovia, Alaska, and the destination was Bear Cove. A company visual flight rules flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged.
According to the statement attached to the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot was landing to the west into an estimated 8 knot headwind. Just prior to touchdown the pilot wrote that the windsock went limp and the airplane struck the threshold of the runway which was located on a bluff. The nose gear sheared off and when the airplane touched down on the runway it nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37EW
- Reported as
- Cessna 206
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20602997
- Airframe hours
- 6,940
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- H0mer Air Service
- Registered owner
- C & L Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 2, 1995 · 72 hours before
- Departed
- SOV · Seldovia, AK
- Destination
- Bear Cove, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- Bear Cove, runway 27, dirt
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,554 total · 3,700 in this make and model · 266 in the last 90 days · 101 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Variable at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N37EW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.