Maule M-6-235 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, May 19, 2013
On May 19, 2013 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Maule M-6-235, registered N56464, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Big Lake, Alaska (Goose Bay airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s execution of a hard landing, which resulted in the overstress fracture of the right main axle housing and the subsequent nosedown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2013 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Goose Bay · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-6-235 · all M-6-235s on the register
- Registration
- N56464 · no longer on the register · serial 7416C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing stop-and-go landings on the gravel-covered runway. Upon touchdown, the right main gear separated at the axle housing, which pivoted the airplane to the right as the main landing gear leg dug into the runway. The airplane subsequently nosed down and came to rest on the propeller spinner and left wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and lift struts. A postaccident examination revealed that the right main landing gear axle separated at the axle housing and main landing gear leg attachment point. Visual and magnified optical examinations of the fractured surfaces revealed features consistent with a bending overstress fracture, indicating that the pilot most likely executed a hard landing, which resulted in the fracture of the right main axle housing and the subsequent nosedown.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Capability exceeded other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,100 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2013
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAED Anchorage AK at 11:30 am
- Destination: PAED Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 08, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.46 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PAMR, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 23, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Materials Laboratory Synopsis and Photo (1 Embedded Image) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Retention / Release of Wreckage Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Retention / Release of Wreckage Form | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N56464: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Maule M-6 81 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 4,223 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Goose Bay Airport · nearest airport
- Elmendorf Air Force Base · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC13LA049.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.