Skip to content

ANC12CA042

2012-05-24 · McGrath, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport AK40

Current FAA registration · N111AX

Make / Model
BEECH 1900C
Year of manufacture
1989 · 23 years old at event
Engine
P&W CANADA PT6A-60A (1050 hp)
Seats / Engines
19 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19891104
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A03000

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's unstable approach and overrotation, which resulted in a tailstrike.

Factual narrative

The pilot was landing a twin turboprop airplane on a gravel runway. A hill lies in the normal glide path to the runway, requiring a steeper than normal approach. The pilot said he misjudged the wind, and the rate of descent on final approach. He over rotated in the flare, and struck the tail, resulting in substantial damage to the lower aft fuselage. He indicated there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The pilot was landing on a gravel runway. He said that a hill was located in the flight path to the runway, which required a steeper-than-normal approach. The pilot said he misjudged the wind and the rate of descent on final approach. He overrotated in the flare, and the airplane’s tail struck the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the lower aft fuselage. He said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_ANC12CA042.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.