NTSB Factual Report

On July 3, 2005, about 1430 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 207A airplane, N39AK, sustained substantial damage when its left wing impacted a small building during taxi after landing at a remote dirt airstrip at Excursion Inlet, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Wings of Alaska, of Juneau, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) on-demand air taxi flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The commercial certificated pilot and five passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated at Juneau, about 1410.

In a written statement submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board dated July 12, the president of the company reported that after landing, while back-taxiing on the runway, the pilot noticed another airplane on short final for the airstrip. He wrote that in an effort to expedite clearing the landing area, the pilot turned too close to a small building. The left wing struck the building, resulting in structural damage to the wing.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a building during taxi from landing, which resulted in structural damage to the left wing when it struck the building.