NEBESNA GLACIER, AK, USA
N5644W
MAULE M-5
THE PLT WAS ON A FLT TO THE NEBESNA GLACIER AREA TO GO HUNTING. HE FOUND WHAT LOOKED LIKE A CHOICE SITE TO LAND FROM WHERE HE PLANNED TO HIKE. HIS 1ST APCH TO LAND WAS LONG, SO HE MADE A GO-AROUND. HIS 2ND APCH WAS ALSO LONG, BUT THIS TIME, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN & THE WHEELS CAUGHT SOME LOW SHRUBS, SLOWING THE ACFT. THE PLT STATED HE 'ADDED FULL POWER FOR GO-AROUND, STRUGGLED INTO THE AIR WITH FULL FLAPS, AND TURNED TOWARD LOWER TERRAIN' WHICH WAS DOWN WIND. HE SAID THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT & WAS 'PUSHED' INTO A DRY RIVER BED. HE STATED THAT HE MADE A CONTROLLED LANDING ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE INTENDED LANDING AREA, BUT THE TERRAIN WAS TOO ROUGH & THE LANDING GEAR BROKE OFF.
THE PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO INADVERTENTLY TOUCH DOWN, HE DELAYED MAKING A GO-AROUND, AND HE DID NOT MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT SPEED TO CONTINUE THE GO-AROUND. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN, HIGH VEGETATION IN THE SELECTED LANDING AREA, A DOWNDRAFT, AND ROUGH TERRAIN IN THE DRY RIVER BED.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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