Learjet 35A N351AS accident near Aniak, Alaska

Probable cause

The captain's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during the landing flare/touchdown. Contributing to the accident were a crosswind and windshear.

NTSB analysis

The flightcrew of a turbojet airplane were landing during dark night VFR conditions at the conclusion of an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country aeromedical positioning flight. The captain said he broke out of the cloud base about 1,200 feet msl, 7 miles from the runway. He said he was holding about 15 to 20 degrees of left crab to remain aligned with the runway centerline, and he felt a strong crosswind over the runway threshold. During the landing flare, the left wingtip fuel tank contacted the runway. The captain applied full right aileron and full right rudder, and the airplane touched down on the centerline. After parking, an inspection of the left wingtip fuel tank revealed scraping and flattening of about the aft third of the underside of the fuel tank. The upper surface of the wing, inboard from the tip tank, was wrinkled. The automated weather observing system (AWOS) was reporting, in part: Wind, 270 degrees at 5 knots; visibility, 9 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, 1,200 feet overcast. The FAA Facility Directory/Alaska Supplement notes that "Because of natural obstructions, the AWOS-3 wind may be unrepresentative of runway wind conditions." The captain indicated that the landing approach speed was flown with additional airspeed to compensate for the wind conditions, and he noted that he could only assume that windshear contributed to the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC08LA035 for the full record.