Maule M-5 N5644W

Summary

On 10 August 1989 at about 01:30 local time, a Maule M-5 registered N5644W, operated by Crostick, Arthur, was involved in an accident near Nebesna Glacier, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 August 1989 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Nebesna Glacier, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Maule M-5

Registration

N5644W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Crostick, Arthur

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Northway → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC89LA139

Nobody was injured.

THE PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO INADVERTENTLY TOUCH DOWN, HE DELAYED MAKING A GO-AROUND, AND HE DID NOT MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT SPEED TO CONTINUE THE GO-AROUND. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN, HIGH VEGETATION IN THE SELECTED LANDING AREA, A DOWNDRAFT, AND ROUGH TERRAIN IN THE DRY RIVER BED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT WAS ON A FLT TO THE NEBESNA GLACIER AREA TO GO HUNTING. HE FOUND WHAT LOOKED LIKE A CHOICE SITE TO LAND FROM WHERE HE PLANNED TO HIKE. HIS 1ST APCH TO LAND WAS LONG, SO HE MADE A GO-AROUND. HIS 2ND APCH WAS ALSO LONG, BUT THIS TIME, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN & THE WHEELS CAUGHT SOME LOW SHRUBS, SLOWING THE ACFT. THE PLT STATED HE 'ADDED FULL POWER FOR GO-AROUND, STRUGGLED INTO THE AIR WITH FULL FLAPS, AND TURNED TOWARD LOWER TERRAIN' WHICH WAS DOWN WIND. HE SAID THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT & WAS 'PUSHED' INTO A DRY RIVER BED. HE STATED THAT HE MADE A CONTROLLED LANDING ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE INTENDED LANDING AREA, BUT THE TERRAIN WAS TOO ROUGH & THE LANDING GEAR BROKE OFF.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.