Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi. Contributing to the accident were rough and uneven terrain, and an excessive taxispeed.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot of a wheel/ski-equipped airplane said that after landing on a frozen lake and while taxiing to parking, the airplane's right wheel/ski struck an area of crusty, ice-covered snow, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said that the airplane subsequently nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and noted that his excessive taxi speed may have contributed to the landing gear collapse.
Source record
Factual narrative
On December 23, 2007, about 1435 Alaska standard time, a wheel/ski equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N572E, sustained substantial damage while taxiing after landing on a frozen lake, about 10 miles east of Skwentna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed the Lake Hood Airstrip, Anchorage, Alaska, about 1400. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on January 8, 2008, the pilot reported that while taxiing to parking, the right wheel/ski struck an area of crusty, ice-covered snow. He said that the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and noted that his excessive taxispeed may have contributed to the landing gear collapse.