ANC97LA058

The pilot was landing a ski/wheel equipped airplane on a remote, ice covered lake. During the landing run toward the north, the airplane encountered a strong gust of wind from the left, and it began to ground loop with the tail of the airplane veering to the right. The right wing of the airplane collided with a snow bank, and the airplane came to rest upright. The pilot reported the wind conditions were, 270 degrees at 10 knots, with gusts to 20 knots.

On April 16, 1997, about 1900 Alaska daylight time, a wheel/ski equipped Cessna 185F, N8310Q, crashed during landing on a remote frozen lake, about 40 miles south of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska, at 1800.

On April 22, 1997, at 1430, the pilot reported in a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), that she was landing on Wein Lake in a northerly direction. The skis were deployed for the landing. After touchdown, the pilot noticed the wind conditions were stronger than anticipated, and the ground speed was faster than anticipated. During the rollout, the airplane encountered a strong gust of wind from the left (west), and the airplane began to ground loop with the tail of the airplane veering to the right. The right wing of the airplane collided with a snow bank, and the airplane came to rest upright. The airplane received damage to the right wing spar, right horizontal stabilizer, and the right side of the fuselage.

The pilot reported the weather conditions consisted of clear skies; visibility, 60 miles, temperature, 20 degrees F; wind, 270 degrees at 10 knots, with gusts to 20 knots.