# NTSB ANC98LA115: Cessna 182, N92197, Fairbanks, AK, July 21, 1998

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report
- Date: July 20, 1998, 20:00 local (Jul 21, 1998, 04:00 UTC)
- Place: Fairbanks, AK
- Coordinates: 64.81031, -147.720489 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.8103&lon=-147.7205&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report May 19, 1999
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office
- NTSB case key (mKey): 43721
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC98LA115
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/43721/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA115

## Probable cause

The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point. A factor associated with this accident was the high brush at the approach end of the landing area.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- Undershoot, landing
  - proper touchdown point - not attained, pilot in command (cause)
  - terrain condition - high vegetation (contributing factor)
- Nose over, landing

## Analysis

The pilot told two FAA inspectors that while attempting to land in five knots of wind, the airplane touched down short of the intended off airport landing site. The left wing dragged into tall brush, and the airplane nosed over.

## Factual narrative

On July 20, 1998, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 182 airplane, N92197, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing on an off airport landing site at the Caribou Mine, located about 45 miles east-northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, as a  personal flight. The flight departed Fairbanks about 1915 on July 20. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The accident was reported by local residents to the FAA on August 1.

The pilot told two FAA inspectors during an interview on August 3, that while landing at the Caribou Mine, the airplane touched down short of the landing area, the left wing dragged into brush, and the airplane nosed over, damaging both wings and the tail. He described the weather to the FAA inspectors as 4,000 feet overcast, with five knots of wind from the southeast. According to the FAA inspectors who interviewed the pilot, he had an estimated 24,000 hours of flight experience.

The pilot did not submit a Pilot / Operator Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, nor did he respond to the Safety Board's letters.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N92197](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N92197-2020-05-29), registration cancelled 2020-05-29, S/N 18260083, built 1969 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: Cessna 182
- Registry model: [Cessna 182N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182n) (registry code 2072730) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 18260083
- Engines: Continental O-470 230 horsepower reciprocating
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Registered owner: Harold T. Griffin
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Departed: FAI, AK
- Destination: CARIBOU MINE, AK

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 74; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; seat: left; flight hours: 24,000 total

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: 4,000 ft overcast

## 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 19980720028139A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980720028139A), Jul 20, 1998: Cessna 182N, Fairbanks, AK, Substantial damage. (.4) The pilot told two FAA inspectors that while attempting to land in five knots of wind, the airplane touched down short of the intended off airport landing…

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.

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