Piper PA-18-150 N82735

Summary

On 28 July 2022 at about 20:05 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N82735, operated by State of Alaska, was involved in an accident near McCarthy, 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

28 July 2022 at 20:05

Classification

Accident

Location

McCarthy, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.2006, -142.2655

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N82735

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

State of Alaska

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → McCarthy

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA288

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper decision to takeoff from an unimproved airstrip with a high density altitude which degraded its climb performance and led to a collision with vegetation off the end of the airstrip.

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 departing a remote rough and soft unimproved airstrip, the airplane’s tail rose off the ground just before the abort point and the airplane lifted off and entered into ground effect. Due to the high density altitude, the airplane was unable to gain sufficient airspeed to clear vegetation at the end of the airstrip. The pilot aborted the take off and the airplane came to rest in vegetation off the end of the airstrip. The right elevator was substantially damaged. 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.