Piper PA 20 N5589H

Summary

On 19 May 2016 at about 03:00 local time, a Piper PA 20 registered N5589H was involved in an accident near Nikolai Creek, 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

19 May 2016 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Nikolai Creek, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.1044, -151.3742

Aircraft

Piper PA 20

Registration

N5589H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1951

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → West Cook Inlet

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

GAA16CA252

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area resulting in an airplane nose over during the takeoff roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot of the tailwheel landing gear-equipped airplane, he took off from grassy, wet, down sloping terrain. He recalled that he walked the area of intended takeoff and found no obstacles that would prevented a safe takeoff. However, he reported that during the takeoff roll, he kept the airplane tailwheel off of the ground, while rolling down slope, and the airplane main landing gear wheels rolled over a patch of mud creating a pivot point, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and wing struts. The pilot reported that there were not any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane, prior to the takeoff roll that would have precluded normal flight operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.