ANC02LA072

Factual narrative

On June 8, 2002, about 1430 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N2162Z, sustained substantial damage when the left wing struck the ground during landing at a remote turf airstrip, about 30 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The airline transport certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Bradley Sky Ranch Airport, North Pole, Alaska, about 1410. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 8, the pilot reported that he was landing on a turf airstrip at Blair Lake, Alaska. The pilot said the airstrip is oriented southeast/northwest, and is about 2,300 feet long, by about 10 feet wide. The pilot said he landed toward the southeast, and during the landing roll, the airplane yawed slightly to the left. He applied the right brake, but the airplane began to slide to the left on the grass-covered runway. The left tire went into an area of willows located along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane's right brake suddenly became effective, and the airplane yawed/ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the ground, and the left wingtip was bent upward about 10 degrees. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, the pilot reported the airstrip was 1,500 feet long and 60 feet wide. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, Fairbanks Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), examined the airplane on July 9, 2002, as it was undergoing repair. The inspector reported the airplane's left wing spar was bent and subsequently spliced, the left aileron was bent, and fuselage stringers required repair. The airline transport certificated pilot was landing the tundra tire-equipped airplane on a remote turf airstrip. The pilot said he landed toward the southeast, and during the landing roll, the airplane yawed slightly to the left. He applied the right brake, but the airplane began to slide to the left on the grass-covered runway. The left tire went into an area of willows located along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane's right brake suddenly became effective, and the airplane yawed/ground looped to the right. The left wing struck the ground, and the left wingtip was bent upward about 10 degrees. The airplane received damage to the left wing spar, the left aileron, and the fuselage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12