Piper PA 32R N8209C accident near Kwigillingok, Alaska

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to land with the sun in his eyes, which resulted in a short landing.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he landed on runway 15 instead of runway 33 because he did not want to make a 180° turn and taxi back on the runway.

He reported that, when he turned to final, the sun was in his eyes and the airplane landed short. During landing, the right main landing gear collided with "deep snow" during the flare, and the airplane veered to the right and collided with a snow berm.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing spar, horizontal stabilizer and the fuselage.

The pilot reported that this accident could have been prevented if he had used runway 33 and not had the sun in his eyes during landing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA18CA088 for the full record.