Accident de Havilland Canada C-7A Caribou (DHC-4) N2225C,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 323238

Date:	Wednesday 29 August 2001
Time:	19:00
Type:	de Havilland Canada C-7A Caribou (DHC-4)
Owner/operator:	Greatland Air Cargo
Registration:	N2225C
MSN:	215
Year of manufacture:	1964
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Port Alsworth Airport, AK (PTA) - United States of America
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	Iliamna Airport, AK (ILI/PAIL)
Destination airport:	Port Alsworth Airport, AK (PTA)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The Caribou was on a positioning flight to Port Alsworth to pick up cargo. The airplane was configured for landing with 40 degrees of flaps. During the landing approach, variations in indicated airspeed and ground speed indicated windshear conditions. About 100 to 200 feet above the ground, the airplane encountered a downdraft and began to drift to the right of the runway centerline. The captain increased engine power and applied full left aileron and rudder, but could not gain directional or pitch control of the airplane. The right wing struck trees, short of the runway threshold, increasing the airplane's right yaw. As the airplane neared the ground, the captain pulled the engine throttles off. The airplane struck the ground with the right main landing gear and right front portion of the fuselage. The airplane then pivoted to the right, 180 degrees from the approach heading.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The captain's failure to maintain the proper glidepath, and improper short field landing procedures. Factors in the accident were a downdraft, and the captain's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions."

Accident investigation: