Kipnuk, AK, USA
N715HE
CESSNA 208B
The pilot of the scheduled commuter flight reported that following a normal landing approach, he landed long to avoid a bump in the runway. He applied the brakes during the landing roll, but realized the airplane was still traveling too fast to stop on the snow and ice-covered runway. He said he did not have enough area to abort the landing and applied maximum brakes. The airplane overran the departure end of the runway and impacted a ditch, coming to rest right wing and nose low. The pilot said that there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. The right wing sustained structural damage.
On January 6, 2011, about 1326 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 208B, N715HE, sustained substantial damage during landing on runway 33 at the Kipnuk Airport (PAKI), Kipnuk, Alaska. The airplane was registered to Icecap LLC Trustee, Anchorage, Alaska, and operated by Hageland Aviation, Anchorage, as scheduled commuter Flight 161 under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. The commercial certificated captain, first officer, and the four passengers, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan was active. The flight originated at Bethel, Alaska at 1240, with an intended destination of Kipnuk. During a telephone conversation with the Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the captain reported that following an uneventful flight, he obtained the current weather conditions at PAKI from the airport's automated surface observation system, noting the wind was from the northeast at 10 knots. He said he flew over the airport, and entered a left downwind for runway 33. The captain stated that following a normal approach, he landed long on the 2120 foot long runway to avoid a bump in the runway. As the airplane touched down on the runway, he applied brakes and moved the propeller into beta. During the landing roll, he realized the airplane was still traveling too fast on the snow and ice covered runway to stop, and he did not have enough area to abort the landing. He said he applied maximum brakes, but the airplane overran the departure end of runway 33, and impacted a ditch. The airplane came to rest right wing and nose low. Examination of the airplane by the captain revealed that the right wing was bent upwards about 3 to 4 feet inboard from the wingtip. The captain noted that there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane that contributed to the accident.
The pilot’s decision to land long on the icy snow-covered runway, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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