- Date
- August 13, 1997, 21:30 local (Aug 14, 1997, 05:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N97959Stinson 108
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19970813022489A
- Case key
- 3044
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 wind conditions. A factor was the crosswind.
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 was attempting to land on an off-airport ridgetop with a 20 knot left crosswind, gusting to 30 knots. The airplane touched down and bounced into the air. The pilot briskly applied full throttle, realized that the engine would not accelerate rapidly from idle, and closed the throttle to land. The airplane drifted off the right side of the strip, and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On August 13, 1997, at 2130 Alaska daylight time, N97959, a Stinson 108 tailwheel airplane, equipped with 8.5-by 10- inch tires, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing, 62 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The solo commercial certificated pilot was uninjured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and had originated from the Nordale Strip in Fairbanks at 1930. Daylight visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot was attempting to land on a 1,400 feet long, ridgetop landing site at 4,800 feet msl, near Lime Peak, Alaska. The purpose of the flight was to pick up the airplane's owner and one other passenger. The owner and pilot both stated that the winds were a left crosswind, 20 knots gusting to 30 knots, and rolling over the ridge. The owner observed the airplane touchdown, bounce into the air, land again, turn to the right, and nose over onto its back.
The pilot stated in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report that after bouncing into the air, he intended to go around, and briskly applied full throttle. He said he was familiar with this airplane and engine design, and was aware that it would not accelerate from idle when the throttle was applied rapidly. When he realized that the engine was not going to accelerate, he closed the throttle and committed to land. The pilot described the airplane drifting right, and nosing over.
The owner stated they turned on the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) initially. They turned it off at night to save batteries, then turned it on again in the morning. They were rescued by an Alaska National Guard helicopter at 1300 on August 14, 1997.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97959
- Reported as
- Stinson 108
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 108-159
- Airframe hours
- 2,658
- Engine
- Franklin 6A4-150-B31, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stephen P. Bruss
- Registered owner
- Kenneth B. Roberts
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 8, 1997 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- Nordale Strip, 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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,796 total · 65 in this make and model · 1,739 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- 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.