Wight CARBON CUB CCK-1865 N625EX
13 August 2016 · Wasilla, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 August 2016 at about 02:00 local time, a Wight CARBON CUB CCK-1865 registered N625EX was involved in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wasilla, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Todds Strip Airport (5AK5)
- Coordinates
- 61.5006, -149.6725
- Aircraft
- Wight CARBON CUB CCK-1865
- Registration
- N625EX
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2016
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Summit → Wasilla
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC16LA059
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The failure of the tailwheel suspension assembly during landing due to preexisting fatigue fractures in the suspension system, which resulted in a loss of directional control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the experimental amateur-built, tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that, while landing on a turf and gravel airstrip, the airplane veered sharply left as the tailwheel touched down. Despite applying full right rudder and brake controls, the pilot was unable to correct the airplane's track, and the right wing and horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground. The pilot stated that, after the airplane stopped, he was unable to straighten the tailwheel with the rudder control inputs because the tailwheel was bent. Postaccident metallurgical examination of the tailwheel suspension system revealed fractures within the welds of the assembly and a fatigue fracture at the bolt hole for mounting the tailwheel. The crack fracture surfaces exhibited orange and dark red corrosion, suggesting that the cracks were preexisting, and the fracture surfaces were consistent with overstress. The assembly also exhibited general twisting deformation, primarily as the result of deformation in the pivot bracket.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May 2016 | Piper PA18 | Seward, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2016 | Piper PA 18-150 | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Dec 2016 | Robinson R22 | Unalaska, Alaska, United States | Bering Pacific Ranches Ltd. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2016 | Cessna 172 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2016 | Cessna T207 | Nanwalek, Alaska, United States | Smokey Bay Air Inc | No injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2016 | Bellanca 7GCBC | Soldotna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |