Event ANC11CA049

Factual narrative

The solo airline transport pilot was landing on a beach when the airplane struck a rock, resulting in a nose over and separation of the right main landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing during the accident sequence. The pilot made a low pass over the landing area, and thought it looked suitable for landing. Upon landing, he said the rocks on the beach were larger than they appeared from the air, and he inadvertently struck one. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot said he should have picked a better place to land. The pilot was landing on a beach when the airplane struck a rock, resulting in a nose over and separation of the right main landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing during the accident sequence. Prior to landing, the pilot made a low pass over the beach, and thought it looked suitable for landing. However, after touchdown, he realized the rocks on the beach were larger than they appeared from the air. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot said he should have picked a better place to land. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear-Failure
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-(general)-Contributed to outcome