- Date
- March 22, 1996, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chugiak, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N5169XBellanca 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960322007479A
- Case key
- 2810
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 selection of an unsuitable area for landing.
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 landed his wheel-equipped airplane on a snow covered portion of taxiway that had been designated for ski-equipped airplanes. The pilot said he elected to land there instead of on the adjoining runway because the runway had patches of ice interspersed with clear pavement. The airplane landed without incident. While still on the ski strip and taxiing to parking, the tailwheel started to dig into the snow. The pilot said he applied additional power to lift the tailwheel free from the snow and increase his taxi speed. The airplane's left main landing gear wheel subsequently dug into to soft snow, and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On March 22, 1996, about 1000 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Bellanca 7ECA airplane, N5169X, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during taxi from landing at the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The local 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan.
The pilot reported he landed to the north on the "ski strip", which is a taxiway adjacent to runway 01/19. The last 2,500 feet (south end)of the taxiway is a designated landing area for ski equipped airplanes. The pilot said the landing was uneventful, and he was taxiing to parking, when the tailwheel acted like it was digging into the snow. He applied power, lifted the tailwheel, and continued taxiing at a faster speed on the main landing gear wheels only. The left main landing gear wheel subsequently encountered a soft spot in the snow and dug in. The airplane stopped abruptly, and then nosed over.
The airplane sustained damage to the right wing spar and lift strut.
The pilot wrote in his report to the NTSB that he elected to land on the ski strip because the main runway had patches of uneven ice adjacent to clean pavement. He also wrote: "In hindsight I realized that if any doubt exists as to surface conditions, or if any operation has any amount of doubt, it's best to wait for better conditions... ."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5169X
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 676
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-21, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eric J. Brinegar
- Registered owner
- Kenneth D. Kastner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 1995
- Departed
- BCV
- Airport
- BCV · Birchwood, runway 1, 4,000 × 30 ft, snow
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 546 total · 7 in this make and model · 477 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °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 N5169X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.