Kipnuk Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Kipnuk, Alaska 99614
Tuesady, January 21, 2003 10:00 AST

The air carrier passenger flight was landing on an icy, 2,120 feet long, by 35 feet wide, gravel runway with nearly a direct crosswind from the right at 15 to 20 knots. During the landing roll, at the captain's directions, the first officer fully deflected the ailerons into the wind, while the captain, the designated flying pilot, manipulated the remaining flight controls and power to the engines. The airplane drifted to the left, despite the captain's efforts, and encountered a snow berm alongside the runway. The airplane was pulled to the left, and off the runway into deeper snow, collapsing the nose gear and receiving substantial damage to the fuselage directly aft of the nose gear. The captain noted in his written report to the NTSB that he believed the nose wheel steering did not turn fully to the right as he attempted to maintain directional control during the landing roll. He stated that the nose wheel steering mechanism may have had a mechanical failure. A review of the airplane's maintenance and flight discrepancy logs failed to disclose any preaccident mechanical problems with the nose wheel steering assembly. Postaccident inspection, bench testing, and disassembly of the nose wheel steering actuator, did not reveal any significant operational problems that would have precluded the nose wheel actuator from functioning. Postaccident interviews with the first officer on the accident flight, and the captain who had flown the accident airplane the day before the accident flight, indicated that they were unaware of any difficulties with the nose wheel steering. The first officer noted that the captain did not seem to utilize the rudders quickly enough, or aggressively enough, to maintain directional control during the landing roll, and relied too much on the nose wheel steering. A company captain who flew repair parts to the airplane at the accident site, reported that he walked the runway several times, looking at the accident airplane's path on the runway. He stated that it appeared to him the accident airplane's nose wheel had been turned fully to the right, and had skidded on the icy runway.

The captain's inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll on an icy runway, which resulted in an excursion from the runway and collision with a snow berm. Contributing factors in the accident are a crosswind, an icy runway, and a snow berm.