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Atlas / NTSB / ANC23LA030

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC23LA030

2023-04-22 Soldotna, Alaska, United States Airport · SXQ None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N454FU

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

DEHAVILLAND BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1

Year of manufacture

1957 · 66 years old at event

Engine

P&W R-985 SERIES (450 hp)

Seats / Engines

8 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19970530

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A58188

Registrant of record

AUDIE SPENCER DAVIS

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in the main landing gear wheels breaking through the snow and the airplane nosing over.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, to avoid excessive wear on the airplane’s Bushwheels, he decided to not land on the paved runway and instead he landed on the snow-covered gravel runway. During landing, the airplane decelerated rapidly as the main wheels touched down into the snow. The airplane subsequently nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the right-wing lift struts and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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).

  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered surface-Contributed to outcome
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-(general)-Capability exceeded

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ANC23LA030.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.