No fatalities

2 Mar 2019: Champion 8GCBC No Series — Palmer, AK

Palmer, AK, United States

On 2 Mar 2019, a Champion 8GCBC No Series was involved in an aviation accident near Palmer, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain lateral control during landing, which resulted in the left ski impacting snow and a subsequent bounce and loss of directional control. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 7 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A snow ski-equipped airplane hit a rock during landing, causing the right main landing gear strut to fail and the right wing to strike the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar.

Accident Summary

A pilot reported that while landing a snow ski-equipped airplane, he noticed a rock protruding from the snow near the intended touchdown point just before touchdown. He attempted to alter the airplane's course to the left. However, the left ski contacted the snow while the airplane was not aligned with the direction of travel, causing the airplane to bounce. Subsequently, the right ski contacted the snow, and the right main landing gear strut failed. The right wing then struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. No other damage details were provided in the report.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The incident was attributed to the unexpected presence of the rock and the subsequent evasive maneuver during the landing attempt.

Contributing factors

PilotLateral/bank control — Not attained/maintainedEffect on operation