Cessna 172 N2809L

Summary

On 3 November 2018 at about 17:40 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N2809L was involved in an accident near Anchorage, 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

3 November 2018 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Merrill Field (MRI)

Coordinates

61.2158, -149.8419

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N2809L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC19LA006

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the landing flare, which resulted in the wing striking the runway. Contributing to the accident was a partial loss of engine power, which resulted from fuel contamination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the private pilot, shortly after departing for the local, personal flight and about 300 ft above ground level, the engine began losing power and running extremely roughly. He declared an emergency and was able to return to the departure airport for landing. During landing, the left wing impacted the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the outboard portion of the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed large amounts of ice around the fuel caps and on the fuel cap vent, and a large amount of debris and water was drained from the carburetor bowl. Due to the amount of water found in the carburetor, it is likely that water entered the fuel system through the fuel caps and led to the partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.