No fatalities

2 Nov 2010: CESSNA U206B — Scott W. Patrick — Cascade, ID

Cascade, ID, United States
SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a base-to-final turn at a backcountry airstrip, a pilot's wide turn caused the nose and right main gear to contact a cliff, separating the nose wheel and right main gear assembly. After flying to a town, the pilot landed on grass, and the aircraft nosed over.

Incident

The pilot of the second airplane in a flight of two was maneuvering to turn from base to final for a full-stop landing at a remote backcountry airstrip. The approach required a precise turn between two steep rock cliffs.

Sequence of Events

During the turn to final, the pilot inadvertently allowed the turn to become too wide. As a result, the nose gear and the right main gear contacted the cliff on the outside of the turn. The contact led to the separation of the wheel from the nose gear strut and the complete separation of the right main landing gear assembly.

After the pilot in the other airplane confirmed the extent of the damage, the pilot of the accident airplane flew out of the backcountry to a town where emergency personnel could be available on the ground. Because portions of the landing gear system were missing, the pilot decided to land in the grass and turf area alongside the main runway.

Landing and Outcome

Although the touchdown was successful, during the landing roll, the nose gear strut dug into the soft terrain, causing the airplane to nose over onto its back.

Probable cause

The pilot inadvertently allowed the turn from base to final to become too wide, resulting in contact with a cliff and subsequent landing gear damage.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedResponse/compensation

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome