Christen A 1 N9598Z

Summary

On 10 January 2017 at about 00:00 local time, a Christen A 1 registered N9598Z was involved in an accident near Milton-Freewater, Oregon, 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

10 January 2017 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Milton-Freewater, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

45.9361, -118.4122

Aircraft

Christen A 1

Registration

N9598Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

College Place → Milton-Freewater

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA110

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to take off from unsuitable terrain with a tailwind, which resulted in a nose-over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while en route, the engine had "slight roughness," so he decided to land in an open snow-covered field on top of a hill to troubleshoot the issue. The pilot further reported that he resolved the engine issue on the ground and decided to take off downhill with a tailwind. During the takeoff roll, the pilot reported that he "noticed [wind] gust on the tail," the main landing gear were "sucked down" in a 1-ft-deep snow drift, and the airplane nosed over. The left wing, fuselage, and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.