BARROW, AK, USA
N20752
Cessna 185F
At the conclusion of an on-demand air taxi flight, the airline transport certificated pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The landing area was a large area of tundra with eight to ten inch tall grass, next to a fishing camp. The day before the flight, the entire north coast of Alaska had received heavy rain. The pilot said he landed into the wind, toward the north. During the landing roll, as the pilot was applying the brakes, the airplane bounced over an unseen bump and became airborne about 12 inches. When the airplane touched down again, the main wheels encountered soft mud. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the propeller, wing lift struts, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder.
On August 11, 2000, about 2025 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 185F airplane, N20752, sustained substantial damage during landing at Cape Simpson, a remote area about 41 miles east of Barrow, Alaska, about latitude 71 degrees, 04 minutes north, and longitude 154 degrees, 45 minutes west. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country on-demand passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by Cape Smythe Air Service Inc., Barrow. The airline transport certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Wiley Post/Will Rogers Memorial Airport, Barrow, at 1955. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on August 14, 2000, the pilot reported that he originally intended to transport the passenger to Cape Simpson, and then continue to Deadhorse, Alaska. Due to high winds reported in Deadhorse, the pilot decided to only fly to Cape Simpson and return to Barrow. The landing area was a large area of tundra with eight to ten inch tall grass, next to a fishing camp. The day before the flight, the entire north coast of Alaska had received heavy rain. The pilot said he landed into the wind, toward the north. During the landing roll, as the pilot was applying the brakes, the airplane bounced over an unseen bump and became airborne about 12 inches. When the airplane touched down again, the main wheels encountered soft mud. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the propeller, wing lift struts, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder.
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. A factor in the accident was a hidden obstruction, and soft terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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