Beech 99 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, February 1, 2012
On February 1, 2012 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Beech 99, registered N991AK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 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 premature power reduction, which resulted in a runway undershoot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 2012 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99 · all 99s on the register
- Registration
- N991AK · registry record · serial U-28
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing the airplane on a runway surrounded by snow berms. He reported that, as the airplane approached the runway threshold, he reduced engine power to flight idle to descend, and the airplane's main landing gear collided with the snow berm at the approach end of the runway. A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the left wheel well bulkhead assembly. The pilot said that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
- Landing area undershoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Snowy/icy › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 30,032 hours in all; 1,320 in this make and model; 208 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 29,892 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 36,120 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 13, 2011; 44 hours since
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P/W Canada PT6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: U/A Canada PT6 SER 578HP (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lake Clark Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: TPO Port Alsworth AK at 7:05 pm
- Destination: PAMR Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 07, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 28.67 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PAMR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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 N991AK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ANC12CA021.