Yakutat, AK, USA
N9417G
Cessna U206E
The commercial pilot routinely landed on the accident site beach to pickup mail. On the accident landing, the nose wheel dug into soft sand, and the airplane nosed down, damaging the left wing.
On April 15, 2005, about 0800 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna U206E airplane, N9417G, sustained substantial damage when it nosed down during the landing roll on a beach, about 60 miles northwest of Yakutat, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Air Juneau Inc, dba Yakutat Coastal Airlines, Yakutat, as a visual flight rules (VFR) positioning flight under Title14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company VFR flight following procedures were in effect. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 18, the pilot said he was en route to a remote strip when he decided to land on a beach and pick up mail. He said he had landed on the beach hundreds of times over the years, but this time during the landing roll the nose wheel dug into soft sand, and the airplane nosed down. He said the left wing struck the ground, and received structural damage. The pilot said there were no known preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose down, and structural damage to the wing. A factor contributing to the accident was the soft sand.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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