What happened
On the night of the accident, a commercial certificated pilot was performing a landing under visual meteorological conditions. The runway surface was covered in snow. After the main landing gear wheels made contact with the runway, the pilot lowered the nose wheel. At that moment, the aircraft suddenly veered to the left.
The aircraft departed the left side of the runway, where the left wing subsequently struck a snow berm. The impact caused damage to the outboard rib and the leading edge of the wingtip. The nose gear strut was also displaced during the event due to a fracture in a strut side brace.
At the time of the incident, the wind was reported as 140 degrees at 5 knots. The runway involved measured 2,120 feet in length and 35 feet in width. According to the FAA Airport/Facility Directory, Alaska Supplement, this specific runway is unattended and its condition is not monitored, with a recommendation for visual inspection prior to use due to frequent crosswinds.
The investigation
During the repair of the nose gear assembly, the operator's director of maintenance examined the components. The inspection found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction within the nose gear assembly.