19970908029429I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Aircraft · Birchwood, AK · September 8, 1997

Date: September 8, 1997 · 13:30 local
Place: Birchwood, AK
Airport: Birchwood
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: Ultralight vehicle (Part 103)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: NONE
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 500 total2 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-5) According to the pilot, he was conducting high speed taxi practice with an ultralight vehicle at Birchwood, AK airport. The pilot locked the throttle in a low power setting and positioned the wing control to lift the nose wheel off the runway. The pilot said, he was only practicing taxiing and did not intend on becoming airborne. As the nose wheel lifted off the runway the vehicle veered left and started to fly. The ultralight continued in a left turn without gaining altitude and struck a Cessna 310 parked and tied down in front of a hangar. The ultralight traveled approximately 300 feet from point of liftoff to the point of impact. The Cessna 310 and the ultralight received minor damage and the pilot sustained minor injuries.

As the FAA filed it

(-5) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS CONDUCTING HIGH SPEED TAXI PRACTICE WITH AN ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE AT BIRCHWOOD, AK AIRPORT. THE PILOT LOCKED THE THROTTLE IN A LOW POWER SETTING AND POSITIONED THE WING CONTROL TO LIFT THE NOSE WHEEL OFF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT SAID, HE WAS ONLY PRACTICING TAXIING AND DID NOT INTEND ON BECOMING AIRBORNE. AS THE NOSE WHEEL LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND STARTED TO FLY. THE ULTRALIGHT CONTINUED IN A LEFT TURN WITHOUT GAINING ALTITUDE AND STRUCK A CESSNA 310 PARKED AND TIED DOWN IN FRONT OF A HANGAR. THE ULTRALIGHT TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET FROM POINT OF LIFTOFF TO THE POINT OF IMPACT. THE CESSNA 310 AND THE ULTRALIGHT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES.