The airline transport pilot was conducting a federal public use flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when he landed a ski-equipped airplane on a glacier. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot reported exiting the landing area in a wide right-hand turn attempting to keep high on the slope, and avoid a depression on the steeply sloping terrain. He wrote that when the tailwheel started to slide downhill, he added power to increase rudder authority, and shallowed the right turn, hoping to avoid a depression. He reported that the airplane crossed over the depression, and upon "touching down on the far side" the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the snow. The pilot reported that the right wing and forward fuselage sustained structural damage. According to the pilot, there were no known pre-accident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi after landing, which resulted in the collapse of the main landing gear and structural damage to the right wing and forward fuselage. A factor associated with the accident was the rough and uneven terrain. |
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