Narrative:
The captain said that he was landing the airplane on runway 33 with a 15-knot crosswind from his right (about 050 degrees magnetic). During the landing roll, the airplane drifted too far to the left on the ice and frost-covered runway and encountered a snow berm. The collision with the snow berm fractured the nose wheel fork, and a portion of the fork subsequently damaged the fuselage just aft of the nose wheel. Field repairs were made at Kipnuk, and the airplane was ferried to the operator's main repair base in Anchorage.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The captain's inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll on an icy runway, which resulted in an excursion from the runway and collision with a snow berm. Contributing factors in the accident are a crosswind, an icy runway, and a snow berm."
accident date: 21-01-2003
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 200
registration: N206EH
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Tuesday 21 January 2003 |
| Time: | 10:00 |
| Type: |  de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 200 |
| Operator: | ERA Aviation |
| Registration: | N206EH |
| MSN: | 194 |
| First flight: | 1969 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 46564 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Repaired |
| Location: | Kipnuk Airport, AK (KPN) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Bethel Airport, AK (BET/PABE), United States of America |
| Kipnuk Airport, AK (KPN/PAKI), United States of America | |
| Flightnumber: | 863 |
The captain said that he was landing the airplane on runway 33 with a 15-knot crosswind from his right (about 050 degrees magnetic). During the landing roll, the airplane drifted too far to the left on the ice and frost-covered runway and encountered a snow berm. The collision with the snow berm fractured the nose wheel fork, and a portion of the fork subsequently damaged the fuselage just aft of the nose wheel. Field repairs were made at Kipnuk, and the airplane was ferried to the operator's main repair base in Anchorage.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The captain's inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll on an icy runway, which resulted in an excursion from the runway and collision with a snow berm. Contributing factors in the accident are a crosswind, an icy runway, and a snow berm."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Runway excursion
Sources:
» NTSBPhotos
accident date: 21-01-2003
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 200
registration: N206EH
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Bethel Airport, AK to Kipnuk Airport, AK as the crow flies is 152 km (95 miles).
Distance from Bethel Airport, AK to Kipnuk Airport, AK as the crow flies is 152 km (95 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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