On September 26, 2009, a SHORT BROS. & HARLAND SC7 SERIES operated by ALL WEST FREIGHT INC was involved in an aviation accident near Skwentna, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing on a rough, soft, and narrow airstrip. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 5 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During landing on a remote mining airstrip, a cargo plane's nose gear collapsed after encountering soft and rough terrain, damaging a fuselage structural bulkhead.
Accident Summary
An airline transport pilot was operating a cargo flight under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 to a remote mining airstrip. During the landing roll, the main landing gear wheels encountered several soft spots, causing difficulty in maintaining directional control. Subsequently, the nose wheel encountered rough and soft terrain near the edge of the airstrip and collapsed rearward, resulting in damage to a fuselage structural bulkhead.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. In retrospect, he noted that having a wider runway and more experience in that type of airplane would have been beneficial.
Contributing factors
Causes
Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot
Other contributing factors
Contributed to outcomeEffect on operation
Related events
Same aircraft family
8 Jun 2022 — SHORT BROS. & HARLAND SC7 (Alaskan Air Charter LLC)