Beech A36 accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, March 20, 2021
On March 20, 2021, a 1976 Beech A36, registered N1820L, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Port Alsworth, Alaska (Port Alsworth airport). It was a business 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 misidentification of the airport’s active runway, which resulted in an off runway landing and a collision with a snow berm. Contributing to the accident was the runway’s lack of identifying markings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2021
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · Port Alsworth · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1976 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1820L · registry record · serial E-843
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the approach to land on a plowed- snow-covered runway, he selected a touchdown point near, what he had identified as, the runway threshold. On short final a pilot-rated passenger seated in the right front seat recommended adding power. The pilot assumed this was to “cushion” the landing not realizing he was landing short of the runway’s plowed surface. Subsequently, the airplane touchdown in an area of unplowed snow, impacted a snow berm, and the nosewheel collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations. In the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented if there were clear runway threshold markings to define the runway’s plowed surface. According to the operator, cones are normally used to identify the runway threshold; however, they had been removed due to ongoing snow removal operations on the day of the accident.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,325 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,225 as pilot in command; 836 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 7, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,135.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 23, 2020
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550B (piston); 5,681 hours total
- Operator: Lake Clark Air
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 9:15 pm
- Runway 06L, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.54 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from PALJ
Weather report (METAR): PALJ 192255Z 07006KT 40SM FEW100 M02/M09 A2954 RMK EST PASS OPEN NOSPECI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1820L 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 ANC21LA027.