N5169X

On March 22, 1996, about 1000 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Bellanca 7ECA airplane, N5169X, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during taxi from landing at the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The local 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan.

The pilot reported he landed to the north on the "ski strip", which is a taxiway adjacent to runway 01/19. The last 2,500 feet (south end)of the taxiway is a designated landing area for ski equipped airplanes. The pilot said the landing was uneventful, and he was taxiing to parking, when the tailwheel acted like it was digging into the snow. He applied power, lifted the tailwheel, and continued taxiing at a faster speed on the main landing gear wheels only. The left main landing gear wheel subsequently encountered a soft spot in the snow and dug in. The airplane stopped abruptly, and then nosed over.

The airplane sustained damage to the right wing spar and lift strut.

The pilot wrote in his report to the NTSB that he elected to land on the ski strip because the main runway had patches of uneven ice adjacent to clean pavement. He also wrote: "In hindsight I realized that if any doubt exists as to surface conditions, or if any operation has any amount of doubt, it's best to wait for better conditions... ."