Piper PA-18-150 N40205

Summary

On 3 September 2013 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N40205 was involved in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 September 2013 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Skwentna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.0792, -153.0483

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N40205

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chugiak → Chugiak

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC13CA092

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's decision to take off from a remote, rough landing site in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was taking off from an off-airport landing site near the top of a mountain ridge, in gusty wind conditions, in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the takeoff roll, a gust of wind pushed the airplane onto rough terrain, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne before it had sufficient speed to maintain flight. When the airplane settled back to the ground, the main landing gear broke off, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.