Maule M5 accident near Chena Hot Sprng, Alaska, February 20, 1993
On February 20, 1993 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Maule M5, registered N9176E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chena Hot Sprng, Alaska (Chena Hot Springs Resort airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE LANDING GEAR AXLE AS A RESULT OF A PRE EXISTING FRACTURE IN THE AXLE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1993 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chena Hot Sprng, Alaska · Chena Hot Springs Resort · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M5 · all M5s on the register
- Registration
- N9176E · registry record · serial 7127C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT, CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, CRASHED ON LANDING. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE UPON MAKING INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE SNOW COVERED SURFACE, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR TO A HEIGHT OF TWO TO THREE FEET AND THE RIGHT SKI SEPARATED FROM THE LANDING GEAR STRUCTURE. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT THE FRACTURE OCCURRED AT THE TUBULAR AXLE FLANGE OF THE LANDING GEAR. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE REVEALED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL AREAS AT THE 12 AND 6 O'CLOCK POSITION OF THE FRACTURE SURFACE THAT WERE VERY BRIGHT AND ROUGH. SURFACE AREAS AT THE 3 AND 9 O'CLOCK POSITION WERE DARKER, GRAYISH IN COLOR AND THE SURFACE WAS SOMEWHAT SMOOTHER.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,916 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 438 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,217 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1992; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J1A50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.