Piper PA-11 N4772M

Summary

On 5 May 2013 at about 22:30 local time, a Piper PA-11 registered N4772M was involved in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska, United States. 2 people were 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

5 May 2013 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Soldotna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Soldotna Airport (PASX)

Coordinates

60.4747, -151.0381

Aircraft

Piper PA-11

Registration

N4772M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Soldotna → Soldotna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC13CA043

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student pilot during takeoff, 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 flight instructor was providing primary flight instruction to a student pilot in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The instructor reported that when the student pilot departed from the 5,000-foot-long, dry, paved runway, the airplane drifted to the right just after becoming airborne. Unable to correct the drift, the airplane continued off the right side of the runway, and over an area of grass-covered terrain. The instructor said that the student pilot then closed the engine throttle and switched the engine magnetos to the off position, and the airplane subsequently landed hard on the right main landing gear wheel. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.