Cessna 402B accident near Telida, Alaska, June 9, 2003
On June 9, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N710WS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Telida, Alaska (Telida airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear. A factor in the accident was a soft runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Telida, Alaska · Telida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N710WS · no longer on the register · serial 402b-0558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was landing a tricycle gear airplane on a remote, gravel and dirt airstrip. During the landing roll, the nose wheel landing gear encountered soft terrain, and the nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in structural damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that the landing surface was softer than he had anticipated. The FAA Alaska Supplement and Airport Directory, contains the following information for the airstrip: Airport Remarks---Unattended. Runway conditions not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to landing. Runway 02-20 is soft in spring, surface irregular and rutted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 405 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 11,600 as pilot in command; 1,835 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 14, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,887 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 2003; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHM Minchumina AK at 3:30 pm
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 02, 1,900 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N710WS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.