Stinson 108-2 accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, August 29, 2010
On August 29, 2010 at about 2:35 am local time, a Stinson 108-2, registered N9569K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The overstress fracture and failure of a main landing gear wheel during landing, resulting in the right wing striking the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2010 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-2 · all 108-2s on the register
- Registration
- N9569K · registry record · serial 108-2569
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a personal cross-country flight and had landed at an off-airport site. While taxiing to park, the right wheel broke and the plane tipped on its right wing. The right wing, wing spar, and aileron were damaged when the wing struck the ground. He reported no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. A postaccident examination of the broken wheel showed the center of the wheel casting adjacent to the inner bearing race had fractured around its circumference, and the casting piece and bearing race had separated from the wheel, allowing the axle to pivot. An examination at the National Transportation Safety Board's materials laboratory revealed features indicative of overstress separation of the flange. No indications of fatigue, corrosion or other preexisting conditions were noted.
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
What happened, in order
- 552337 during descent - emergency
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 4,725 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 253 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 4,684 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 24, 2010
- Medical certificate: class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,106 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, November 3, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,330 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: AK51 Port Alsworth AK
- Destination: AK51 Port Alsworth AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scattered at 800 ft
- Temperature: 52°C, dew point 52°C
- Altimeter: 29.860001 inHg
- Observation at 7:39 pm from PALJ, 48 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC10LA081.