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ANC14CA017

2014-03-02 · Alegnagik, Alaska, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N2542K

Make / Model
SILVAIRE LUSCOMBE 8E
Year of manufacture
1947 · 67 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560512
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A26902

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to determine that the ice that he was taxiing on was safe for operation.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he had just landed his tail wheel-equipped airplane on a frozen lake. During the taxi to his cabin, both of the airplane's main landing gear wheels broke through overflow ice, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and that the accident could have been prevented had he called a local lodge owner to check the conditions of the ice before landing. The pilot reported that he had just landed his tail wheel-equipped airplane on a frozen lake. During the taxi to his cabin, both of the airplane's main landing gear wheels broke through overflow ice, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and that the accident could have been prevented had he called a local lodge owner to check the conditions of the ice before landing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered-Awareness of condition - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of available resources-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ANC14CA017.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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