PALMER, AK, USA
N2294C
Cessna 180
The pilot was taxiing the airplane after landing on a gravel and clay bar the second time that day. He said the ground was soft and muddy, so he kept the airplane moving so it would not become stuck. The wheels bogged down during the taxi, the airplane nosed down, and the wind carried the airplane over onto its back. The vertical stabilizer and the right wing outboard of the lift strut sustained substantial damage. The pilot said the visibility was 5 miles in rain, and the winds had increased from the first trip, and were 25 knots, with gusts to 40 knots.
On September 18, 1999, about 1130 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180 airplane, N2294C, sustained substantial damage during landing at an off airport landing site about 25 miles east of Palmer, Alaska, at 61 degrees 19 minutes north latitude, 148 degrees 28 minutes west longitude. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed the Anderson Lake Airstrip, Palmer, about 1100 on the second trip that day to the pilot's hunting camp. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) on October 13, and in his Pilot/Operator report, the pilot stated that he was taxiing after landing on a gravel and clay bar. He said the ground was soft and muddy, so he kept the airplane moving so it would not become stuck. The pilot said the wheels bogged down during the taxi, the airplane nosed down, and the wind carried the airplane over onto its back. The vertical stabilizer and the right wing outboard of the lift strut sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated the ceiling was about 5,000 feet overcast, and the visibility was 5 miles in rain. He indicated the winds had increased from his earlier trip to the same location, and were blowing from the northwest at 25 knots, with gusts to 40 knots.
The pilot's choice of unsuitable terrain for taxi, and inadequate compensation for high winds. Factors associated with this accident were the muddy ground, and the winds of 25 knots gusting to 40 knots.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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