ANC05CA083

Factual narrative

On June 12, 2005, about 1030 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N2830C, sustained substantial damage when it ground-looped following a loss of control during landing at Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan was filed. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 6, the pilot said he landed on runway 06. He said the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) was reporting the wind from 040 degrees at 6 knots, but he thought it was more of a direct crosswind, and gusting. The official weather observation for Merrill Field at 1030 reported the wind was from 030 degrees at 9 knots. The pilot said that during the landing roll, the left wing lifted, and he lost directional control. The airplane ground-looped to the left, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained damage to the propeller, main landing gear, fuselage, and left wing. The private pilot reported that the automatic terminal information service at the landing airport indicated the surface wind was from 040 degrees at 6 knots. During the landing roll on runway 6, the pilot stated the left wing lifted, and he lost directional control. The airplane ground-looped to the left, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained structural damage to the landing gear, fuselage, and left wing. The official weather observation taken at the time of the accident indicated that the wind was from 030 degrees at 9 knots. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12