N9237E

On April 4, 1999, at 1220 Alaska daylight time, a Maule M-5, tail wheel equipped airplane, N9237E, was substantially damaged when it departed the edge of runway 36 and nosed over at the Talkeetna Airport, Talkeetna, Alaska. The commercial pilot and sole passenger were not injured. The airplane was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The flight departed Fairbanks, Alaska, at 1030, for Talkeetna. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR flight plan was on file.

The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge during a telephone interview on April 5, and wrote in her NTSB Pilot / Operator report, that the automated weather observation (ASOS) reported the winds to be about six knots from 250 degrees. She initially attempted to land on runway 18, but executed a go-around after the airplane encountered "wind burbles" on final approach. She then landed on 3,500 feet long by 75 feet wide runway 36. The pilot said that during the landing roll, while at an estimated speed of 15 to 20 knots, a wind gust lifted the left wing and the airplane swerved left. The airplane departed the left side of the runway. The wheels contacted snow on the side of the runway, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane.