Amateur-built KASE KUB accident near Big Lake, Alaska, November 18, 2023
On November 18, 2023 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 2017 amateur-built KASE KUB, registered N853AK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Big Lake, Alaska (Big Lake 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 selection of an unsuitable landing site that was covered in deep snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2023 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Big Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KASE KUB, built 2017
- Registration
- N853AK · registry record · serial 6901
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that she landed on a runway that was covered in deep snow which resulted in a nose over and substantial damage to the rudder and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 461 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 382 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 20, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 94 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 3, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320A3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAWS Wasilla AK at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 2,450 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 5°F (-15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from AWS, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAWS 182056Z AUTO 00000KT CLR M12/M15 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP134 T11171150 51017 PWINO FZRANO RVRNO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.