Beechcraft 65-A90-1 N418SP

Summary

On 16 February 2009 at about 20:00 local time, a Beechcraft 65-A90-1 registered N418SP, operated by Missionary Aviation Repair Center, was involved in an accident near Soldotna, 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

16 February 2009 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Soldotna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Soldotna (PASX)

Coordinates

60.4750, -151.0381

Aircraft

Beechcraft 65-A90-1

Registration

N418SP

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Missionary Aviation Repair Center

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wasilla → Soldotna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC09CA020

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's misidentification of the runway surface during landing. Contributing to the accident were the snow-covered terrain, and low-light conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was making a personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The pilot said when he arrived at the destination airport there was 3-4 inches of new snow, and that the overcast and low light condition made everything look gray. He said the visual approach slope indicator (VASI) lights were inoperative, and the appropriate notice to airman (NOTAM) was issued. He said he turned on the runway lights, identified what he thought was the runway surface, and lined up the runway edge lights on his left. After the airplane touched down he said he realized that he landed to the right of the runway surface, with the right side runway edge lights on his left. The pilot said the airplane settled into deep snow, and impacted a snowbank, collapsing the landing gear. In a written statement the pilot wrote that given the snow and light conditions, using the wide area augmentation system (WAAS) instrument flight rules (IFR) approach would have aligned the airplane with the runway surface. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The airplane sustained structural fuselage damage during the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.