Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable, slush-covered, runway for landing. A factor was the slush-covered runway.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On April 17, 1998, at 1700 Alaska daylight time, a Stinson 108-2 tailwheel airplane, N134C, sustained substantial damage during an aborted landing at the Eklutna Lake - Bold airstrip, 10 miles northeast of Chugiak, Alaska. The solo private pilot was uninjured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.
The flight departed Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, at 1600, to stop at the Bold airstrip, and then return. The pilot stated in a telephone interview with the NTSB Investigator-In-Charge on April 18, 1998, that he was attempting to land on runway 14, which measures 1,000 feet long by 30 feet wide. Upon touchdown, he realized there was five to six inches of slushy snow on the gravel runway, and he attempted to abort the landing. The airplane contacted brush at the departure end of the takeoff area, and the airplane nosed over. The elevators, wings, propeller, and fuselage were damaged.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ANC98LA039