Piper PA 18-150 N8761C

Summary

On 21 July 2015 at about 05:15 local time, a Piper PA 18-150 registered N8761C, operated by Flensburg Susan L, was involved in an accident near Dillingham, 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

21 July 2015 at 05:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Dillingham, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Shannons Pond (0Z3)

Coordinates

59.0500, -158.5814

Aircraft

Piper PA 18-150

Registration

N8761C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1953

Engines

1

Operator

Flensburg Susan L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dillingham → Dillingham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ANC15LA056

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed during initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to continue a takeoff even though the airplane was not airborne by the planned takeoff decision point.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal flight in the float-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that, after reaching the planned takeoff decision point, the airplane was not airborne, so he applied full flaps, and the airplane then immediately became airborne. The airplane climbed to about 40 ft above ground level, but it had insufficient airspeed to continue climbing and subsequently stalled. In an attempt to avoid impacting the trees ahead, the pilot initiated a left bank, and the airplane subsequently impacted a flat area of muskeg adjacent to the waterway. A postaccident engine examination revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot should not have continued the takeoff given that the airplane had not become airborne by the planned decision takeoff point.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.