Piper PA-22-150 N3644P

Summary

On 11 September 2010 at about 17:55 local time, a Piper PA-22-150 registered N3644P, operated by Matthew D Mrzena, was involved in an accident near Coldfoot, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 September 2010 at 17:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Coldfoot, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

68.7083, -148.5333

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-150

Registration

N3644P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Matthew D Mrzena

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Coldfoot → Coldfoot

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC10CA085

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of an unsuitable (short) off-airport site for takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was taking off from an off airport site on a personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The pilot reported that he used a range finder and walked the takeoff area to determine that its length was about 1,000 feet. He said the airplane reached 45 knots airspeed during the takeoff roll, and he increased the flaps to 30 degrees. The pilot said the airplane did not accelerate further, and he applied back pressure on the control to take weight off the main landing gear. He said the airplane did not become airborne prior to reaching the end of the runway, and the main wheels struck a trench, collapsing the main landing gear. The pilot reported the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the accident. He indicated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane that contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.