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GAA18CA088

2017-12-14 · Kwigillingok, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GGV

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to land with the sun in his eyes, which resulted in a short landing.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he landed on runway 15 instead of runway 33 because he did not want to make a 180° turn and taxi back on the runway. He reported that, when he turned final the sun was in his eyes and the airplane landed short. During landing, the right main landing gear collided with "deep snow" during the flare, and the airplane veered to the right and collided with a snow berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing spar, horizontal stabilizer and the fuselage. Per the National Transportation Safety Board's Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot identified in the Owner Safety Recommendation section, that this accident could have been prevented if he had used runway 33, and not had the sun in his eyes during landing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, he landed on runway 15 instead of runway 33 because he did not want to make a 180° turn and taxi back on the runway. He reported that, when he turned to final, the sun was in his eyes and the airplane landed short. During landing, the right main landing gear collided with "deep snow" during the flare, and the airplane veered to the right and collided with a snow berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing spar, horizontal stabilizer and the fuselage. The pilot reported that this accident could have been prevented if he had used runway 33 and not had the sun in his eyes during landing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Glare-Effect on personnel - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Snow/ice-Contributed to outcome
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Snow/ice-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA18CA088.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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