Cessna 182A N4861D

Summary

On 26 April 2004 at about 01:45 local time, a Cessna 182A registered N4861D was involved in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska, United States. One person was 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

26 April 2004 at 01:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Skwentna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.5000, -151.5000

Aircraft

Cessna 182A

Registration

N4861D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Skwentna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC04LA048

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in a nose over during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported he was landing at a private airstrip near a cabin. He said he flew over the airstrip to see if it was suitable for his wheel-equipped airplane. He noted what he thought was the gravel surface of the runway showing through patchy snow, and ruts in the snow as if made by landing airplanes. During the subsequent landing roll, the airplane's wheels sank in deep snow, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that after the accident, he discovered that black cinders had been spread on the runway to expedite the melting of the snow, and it was the cinders he saw from the air, not the gravel runway surface.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.