- Date
- February 22, 1998, 11:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9028MCessna 180H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980222006699A
- Case key
- 3115
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point on the runway. Factors in the accident were: snow covered terrain at the approach end of the runway and flat light conditions.
Analysis
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane during flat light conditions. An area of plowed snow was located at the approach end of the runway. The airplane's main landing gear touched down about 15 feet short of the plowed portion of the runway. The airplane nosed down, and slid off the edge of the runway where it then nosed over.
Factual narrative
On February 22, 1998, about 1110 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Cessna 180H airplane, N9028M, sustained substantial damage when the airplane nosed over during landing at the Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane is registered to and operated by the pilot. The certificated commercial pilot, and three passengers, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Soldotna Airport, Soldotna, Alaska, about 1038.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on February 23, 1998, at 1000, the pilot reported he was landing on runway 33 at Merrill Field. He said the lighting conditions were flat, and he inadvertently landed short of the runway. The airplane's main landing gear touched down in an area of snow, about 15 feet short of the plowed portion of the runway. The airplane nosed down, and slid off the edge of the runway where it then nosed over. The airplane received damage to the right wing tip, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9028M
- Reported as
- Cessna 180H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052128
- Airframe hours
- 4,110
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles Munford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 5, 1997 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- SXQ · Soldotna, AK
- Destination
- MRI
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MRI · Merrill Field, runway 33, 2,640 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,724 total · 2,342 in this make and model · 2,619 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.