N172JL

On July 8, 2004, about 1205 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 172 airplane, N172JL, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during the landing roll on a remote beach site located about 7 miles east of Yakutat, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private certificated pilot, and the three passengers, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Yakutat Airport, Yakutat, about 1150. No flight plan was filed, nor was one required.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on July 12, the pilot reported that before the accident landing, he did a touch-and-go-landing to check the sand condition. After the successful touch-and-go landing on the beach, he landed to the southeast. During the landing roll, the tires encountered soft sand, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane subsequently nosed over, and received structural damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.