Piper PA22 N3251Z

Summary

On 22 August 2020 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA22 registered N3251Z was involved in an accident near Lake Louise, 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

22 August 2020 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Louise, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.3669, -147.4836

Aircraft

Piper PA22

Registration

N3251Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talkeetna → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20CA087

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to takeoff in shifting winds from a remote unimproved gravel bar, which resulted in a failure to attain an airspeed suitable for flight and 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 reported that during takeoff from a remote unimproved gravel bar, after becoming airborne, the airplane began to descend. He added that there was “plenty of runway left” and he allowed the airplane to bounce on the airstrip. The pilot continued the takeoff attempt, and after an additional bounce, the airplane descended for a third time onto “much larger rocks”. Subsequently, the airspeed diminished, and the airplane came to rest in the trees and rocks. The pilot added that during the takeoff, the headwind switched to a tailwind. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.