Skip to content

GAA17CA147

2017-02-18 · Fairbanks, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FAI

Current FAA registration · N185AE

Make / Model
CESSNA A185F
Year of manufacture
1973 · 44 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19750604
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A15344

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate glidepath to the runway and to use the vertical guidance system.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the first landing of a currency flight, he "never realized he was low on the approach" and impacted a snow covered area short of the asphalt runway and nosed over. He added that the flight was conducted in "reduced light conditions" and he "did not recognize the conditions as being flat light." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The National Weather Service recorded a sunset time about 25 minutes after the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement stated in part that the landing runway was equipped with a precision approach path indicator (PAPI). The pilot reported that, during the first landing of a currency flight, he "never realized he was low on the approach" and that the airplane impacted a snow-covered area short of the asphalt runway and nosed over. He added that the flight was conducted in "reduced light conditions" and that he "did not recognize the conditions as being flat light." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The National Weather Service reported that the sun set about 25 minutes after the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement stated, in part, that the landing runway was equipped with a precision approach path indicator. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of available resources-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Snowy/icy terrain-Effect on equipment
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-(general)-Effect on personnel

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA147.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.