Grumman G-44 accident near Willow, Alaska, May 26, 2006
On May 26, 2006 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Grumman G-44, registered N141R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willow, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to retract the amphibian airplane's main landing gear prior to landing on a lake, which resulted in a nose over during touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2006 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-44 · all G-44s on the register
- Registration
- N141R · registry record · serial 1378
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot reported that he was landing his amphibian airplane on a lake during a Title 14, CFR Part 91 local flight. He had departed a hard-surfaced runway about 15 minutes prior to landing on the lake. The pilot noted during a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge that as the airplane touched the surface of the lake, it decelerated very quickly and then nosed over. He said he and the sole passenger were able to exit the airplane through their respective side windows. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and it was likely that he failed to retract the main landing gear after takeoff from the hard surfaced runway. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident site stated that the airplane had substantial structural damage to the nose section, and that the landing gear was in the down and locked position.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,717 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480B1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAVO Willow AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC06CA063.