# NTSB ANC96LA061: Cessna 180, N212RF, Hope, AK, April 28, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 28, 1996, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Hope, AK - Coordinates: 60.83992, -149.399414 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=60.8399&lon=-149.3994&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 1, 1997 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 2832 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC96LA061 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/2832/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC96LA061 ## Probable cause The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. A factor in the accident was soft terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The certificated airline transport pilot was landing on a remote area of beach. During the landing roll, the airplane's tires settled into a soft muddy area and the airplane nosed over. It received damage to the left wing and rudder. ## Factual narrative On April 28, 1996, about 1300 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 180, N212RF, nosed over while landing on a remote area of beach, about 7 miles west of Hope, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Quartz Creek airport, Cooper Landing, Alaska, at 1230. In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that he was landing on a 1,500 feet long area to the west. During the landing roll, the airplane's tires settled into a soft muddy area and the airplane nosed over. It received damage to the leading edge of the left wing, wing tip and rudder. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N212RF](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N212RF-2012-08-23), registration cancelled 2012-08-23, S/N 32394, built 1956 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180 - Registry model: [Cessna 180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180) (registry code 2072602) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32394 - Airframe hours: 5500 - Engines: Continental O-470-K 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Wayne L. Koecher - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 31, 1995, 100 hours before - Departed: JLA, COOPER LANDING, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; flight engineer, airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 17,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 5 knots - Visibility: 90 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 50 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19960428008909A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960428008909A), Apr 28, 1996: Cessna 180, Hope, AK, Substantial damage. Nosed over landing on a beach. Wheels hit a soft spot. ## Other investigations on N212RF (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ANC06LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC06LA015), Jan 2, 2006: Cessna 180 (N212RF), Seward, AK, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, which resulted in an in-flight encounter with low ceilings, turbulence, and downdrafts in cruise flight, and the pilot's failure to maintain… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.