On September 3, 2005, a Champion 7KCAB (registration N63995) was involved in an aviation accident near Fairbanks, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over during the landing roll. A factor contributing to the accident was a depression/ditch in the landing surface. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a landing on a gravel bar, the pilot encountered a previously unobserved depression, causing the airplane to nose over and sustain structural damage.
Incident Overview
An airline transport certificated pilot was conducting a landing on a gravel bar along a river. The landing area measured approximately 1,400 feet in length and 300 feet in width. The pilot reported having flown over the area several times to inspect for potential hazards before proceeding with the landing.
Sequence of Events
During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a depression in the terrain that the pilot had not observed during the previous flyovers. The depression caused the airplane to nose over. As a result of the nose-over, the aircraft sustained structural damage to the left wing lift strut and the vertical stabilizer.
Conclusion
The incident occurred when the airplane struck an unseen depression during the landing roll, leading to a nose-over and subsequent damage. No further causal factors were identified in the source material.