No fatalities

18 Aug 2012: MAULE M-5-210C — Coldfoot, AK

Coldfoot, AK, United States

On 18 Aug 2012, a MAULE M-5-210C was involved in an aviation accident near Coldfoot, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's delayed decision to turn around while flying through a narrow mountain pass, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 11 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

The pilot of a single-engine airplane attempted to fly through a narrow mountain pass but was blocked by clouds, leading to a precautionary landing on a gravel road where the airplane struck a ditch and sustained substantial wing damage.

Incident Overview

According to the pilot's account, the flight involved an attempt to navigate through a narrow mountain pass. While approaching the pass, the pilot observed that clouds were obscuring the top of the pass. Assessing the situation, the pilot determined that the pass was too narrow to execute a turn and therefore elected to land the airplane on a gravel access road as an alternative.

Landing Sequence

During the landing roll on the gravel road, the airplane encountered a ditch. After hitting the ditch, the airplane veered to the left and subsequently impacted terrain. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the left wing of the airplane.

Mechanical Condition

The pilot reported that no preaccident mechanical anomalies were present with the airplane. The airplane was operating normally prior to the event.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome