- Date
- March 3, 1998, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tatitna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4751UCessna 180H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980303007329A
- Case key
- 3118
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. A factor was the snow machine ruts creating a rough landing surface.
Analysis
During the landing roll on a snow covered landing strip, the airplane's skis began to track in a snow machine rut, pulling the airplane to the left. The pilot applied power and full right rudder, but the airplane continued left, striking trees on the edge of the 1,200-foot-long by 12-foot-wide landing strip.
Factual narrative
On March 3, 1998, at 1700 Alaska standard time, a ski equipped Cessna 180H airplane, N4751U, sustained substantial damage when its left wing impacted trees during landing roll at the Tatitna landing strip, Tatitna, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot and the one passenger aboard were not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight from Rainbow Lake in Big Lake, Alaska, to Tatitna. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated to the NTSB investigator that during his landing roll, the airplane's skis encountered a snow machine rut, and began to track to the left. The pilot said he applied power and full right rudder, but the left wing contacted willow trees on the side of the 1,200 feet long by 12 feet wide, snow covered landing strip.
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
- N4751U
- Reported as
- Cessna 180H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51451
- Airframe hours
- 6,088
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Daniel W. Plano
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 6, 1998 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- Rainbow Lake, AK
- Destination
- AK48 · AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- AK48 · Tatitna, runway 6, 1,200 × 12 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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,870 total · 1,315 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N4751U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.