Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Merrill Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Friday, September 10, 1999 21:22 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The private pilot, who was also a mechanic with an inspection authorization, was landing the airplane from a ferry flight after the airplane had been involved in a previous accident (see ANC99LA155). The pilot/mechanic said that immediately after touchdown, the nose wheel began to vibrate. The nose gear assembly collapsed, and the engine firewall to which the temporary nose gear assembly had been attached, sustained substantial damage. Inspection by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed that a nose landing gear assembly from an earlier model Cessna 182 had been installed without a shimmy damper, and without provision for connection to the steering bungees. A doubler had been installed on the previously damaged firewall to provide mounting structure for the nose gear assembly. A review of photographs taken at the first accident site revealed that substantial damage to the left wing, left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator (including missing the outboard 4 inches of elevator, and the left elevator tip counterweight), tail cone and empennage, and lower engine cowling existed prior to the ferry flight. The FAA issued a ferry permit for the airplane but did not inspect the airplane, nor verify the extent of damage which existed prior to the flight occurring. The airplane had received its last annual inspection on July 18, 1997, 26 months before the first accident.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot/mechanic's improper damage repair, and intentional operation (ferry) of the airplane with known deficiencies. Factors in the accident were the installation of the improper nose gear assembly, and the inadequate surveillance and issuance of a special flight permit by the FAA.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/10/1999 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2122 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | ANCHORAGE |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99501 |
| Event Date Year | 1999 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | MERRILL FIELD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | MRI |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 137 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2122 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MRI |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 137 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 12000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 6000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 10 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 6 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1899 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 10 1999 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2200 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 11 2001 4:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1881X |
| NTSB Number | ANC99LA146 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 182 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 182 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18255981 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2800 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 18 1997 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 90 |
| Airframe Hours | 4168 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ROBERT A. HUSAR |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | PO BOX 42 |
| Aircraft Owner City | FAIRBANKS |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99707 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | KENNETH W. SIMONIS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 14341 W. LAKE RIDGE RD. |
| Operator City | EAGLE RIVER |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 99577 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Ferry |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | FWL |
| Departure City | FAREWELL |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2000 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | MRI |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 11 2001 4:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 33 |
| Runway Length | 2640 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |