| Crash location | 64.658333°N, 148.316667°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Fairbanks, AK
64.837778°N, 147.716389°W 21.6 miles away |
| Tail number | N36266 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 16 Feb 2001 |
| Aircraft type | Bellanca 7GCBC |
| Additional details: | None |
On February 16, 2001, about 1500 Alaska standard time, a ski equipped Bellanca 7GCBC airplane, N36266, sustained substantial damage during landing on a frozen lake, about 15 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area instructional flight when the accident occurred. The airplane is registered to the student pilot. The commercial certificated pilot/flight instructor, and the student pilot, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, about 1400.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on February 20, 2001, the flight instructor reported the accident flight was the first flight with the student. The flight departed Fairbanks with the instructor seated in the front seat. He flew to an area along the Tanana River where he had previously conducted numerous takeoff and landings. The flight instructor demonstrated a variety of aerial maneuvers, and then landed on a frozen lake. The lake was covered with about two feet of snow. The instructor performed two additional takeoff and landings and then stopped. He placed the student pilot in the front seat and got into the rear seat. The instructor had the student taxi the airplane and then perform several takeoff and landings. The flight instructor then took over the flight controls and landed at a different lake, establishing a new set of ski landing tracks in the snow. The student pilot then performed two additional takeoff and landings. On the third landing approach to the new location, the airplane was established on a normal glide path. About 2 to 4 feet above the ground, the student suddenly pushed forward on the control stick and applied almost full right rudder. The instructor was unable to prevent the airplane from colliding with the snow in a nose down attitude. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the wings, wing spars, lift struts, and vertical stabilizer.
The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight during the landing flare. A factor in the accident was the student's abrupt airplane control.