Accident Overview
On August 13, 2021, at approximately 1555 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180 airplane, registered as N3467Y, was substantially damaged in an accident at Soldotna Airport (SXQ) in Soldotna, Alaska. The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction were not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight.
Flight Details
The flight instructor reported that the purpose of the flight was to complete the requirements for a tailwheel endorsement. The pilot receiving instruction had successfully completed a series of touch-and-go landings on runway 25 and was conducting another landing. As the airplane touched down on the paved runway, the instructor heard a loud thud just as the pilot applied full takeoff engine power. The airplane began to veer to the left. Despite the pilot applying full right rudder to correct the veer, the aircraft continued left. The instructor took control, and the pilot stated, “we’ve lost the left gear.” The airplane continued off the left side of the runway and entered an area of rough, grass-covered terrain before colliding with a taxiway sign. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to an abrupt stop next to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, fuselage, and empennage.
Witness Observations
One witness reported that the right wingtip dragged on the ground as the airplane veered left and that the left gear impacted a sign along the taxiway. Another witness reported that the right wing was dragging on the runway for about 200 to 300 feet and that the airplane departed the runway and impacted taxiway lights, which was followed by a gear collapse.
Runway Evidence
A postaccident examination of the runway environment revealed that the airplane touched down about 361 feet from the runway threshold. Ground scars, impact signatures, and tire skid marks on the runway were consistent with simultaneous contact of the right-wing tip and the right main landing gear tire. The airplane continued to veer left for an additional 218 feet from the touchdown point before departing the left side of the runway. It then veered slightly to the right, momentarily re-entering the runway surface, but then veered left again. The airplane subsequently collided with a taxiway light, a sign, and a runway “wigwag” airfield light system before becoming airborne momentarily again. During the second touchdown, the airplane collided with another runway sign. The wreckage came to rest in an area of rough and uneven grass-covered terrain on the left side of the runway, about 1,249 feet from the initial touchdown point.
Aircraft Examination
The right wing had abrasion damage on the wing tip fairing that matched witness marks on the runway. The left main landing gear leg was folded under the fuselage. The entire gearbox structure of the left main landing gear was torn from the fuselage, and the structure remained attached to the upper portion of the spring steel landing gear leg assembly. The airplane examination found no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.