What happened
On July 19, 2011, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registration N5043N, was performing a low-altitude reconnaissance pass over an area near Kantishna, Alaska, to evaluate the ground for a potential landing. During this maneuver, the pilot attempted to check the roughness of the terrain by lightly dragging the aircraft's main landing gear wheels along the surface. However, the wheels sank into soft ground, causing the aircraft to nose over. The accident resulted in no injuries, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage to its vertical stabilizer.
The investigation
The investigation found that the pilot reported no mechanical issues that would have prevented the aircraft from operating normally. The weather at the time of the event was characterized by visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 20 statute miles and winds from 270 degrees at 5 knots.