Cessna 172R N447AF

Summary

On 5 March 2011 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna 172R registered N447AF, operated by Elmendorf Air Force Base Aero Club, was involved in an accident near Montana Creek, 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

5 March 2011 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Montana Creek, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.0425, -150.0758

Aircraft

Cessna 172R

Registration

N447AF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Elmendorf Air Force Base Aero Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talkeetna → Willow

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC11CA014

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to recognize that he was landing at the wrong airstrip on a snow-covered and unplowed runway, resulting in the airplane nosing over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was flying from one airport to another using a highway as a reference. He saw an airport that he thought was his destination airport and made a straight-in approach for landing. Just before touching down, he realized that he was not landing at the correct airport and instead was landing on a snow-covered and unplowed private airstrip. He realized that he did not have time to go around and landed on the snow. The airplane crossed a snow machine track and nosed over. The engine firewall and both wings sustained substantial damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.