19980927026849A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 170 · Igiugig, AK · September 27, 1998

Date
September 27, 1998 · 17:00 local
Place
Igiugig, AK
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N3482C
NTSB investigation
NTSBANC98LA163
Reported as
Cessna 170
Reported engine
Continental O300A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,500 total15 in this make and model190 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.

Acft crashed under unknown circumstances and sustained substantial damage. (-23) scott d. quist made a take off in a Cessna 170-B from a sand blown lake at 17:45 on 9/27/98. He had his father-in-law, a small caribou and a small tent and sleeping bags. He also had 1/2 tanks of gas. Winds were 10-15 KTS variable. Lake was over 1000' long, and good weather. Aircraft lifted off in a slight 3 point altitude with 0-45 deg. Cross wind. Wind shifted causing the aircraft to settle into the tundra fight wing low and right landing gear touching the tundra. Right gear collapsed, settling into the tundra cracking right wing tip, damaging the prop and some cowling damage. (.19) on September 27, 1998, about 1700 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 170B airplane, N3482C, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during takeoff from an off airport landing site about 20 miles north of Igiugig, Alaska. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR part 91 as a personal flight to hunt caribou. The flight was departing the landing site, returning to king salmon, Alaska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge during a telephone interview on September 28, and wrote in his NTSB pilot / operator report, that the winds were a variable left crosswind, and he tried to time his takeoff to use a headwind. The pilot estimated the length of the takeoff area to be about 1,000 feet. He said the airplane left the ground about 2/3 of the way down the takeoff area and was too slow to climb. He indicated the left wing came up, the right landing gear contacted the tundra, and the airplane settled to the ground. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane, and had accumulated about 15 hours of experience in the make and model.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. (-23) SCOTT D. QUIST MADE A TAKE OFF IN A CESSNA 170-B FROM A SAND BLOWN LAKE AT 17:45 ON 9/27/98. HE HAD HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, A SMALL CARIBOU AND A SMALL TENT AND SLEEPING BAGS. HE ALSO HAD 1/2 TANKS OF GAS. WINDS WERE 10-15 KTS VARIABLE. LAKE WAS OVER 1000' LONG, AND GOOD WEATHER. AIRCRAFT LIFTED OFF IN A SLIGHT 3 POINT ALTITUDE WITH 0-45 DEG. CROSS WIND. WIND SHIFTED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO SETTLE INTO THE TUNDRA FIGHT WING LOW AND RIGHT LANDING GEAR TOUCHING THE TUNDRA. RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED, SETTLING INTO THE TUNDRA CRACKING RIGHT WING TIP, DAMAGING THE PROP AND SOME COWLING DAMAGE. (.19) ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1998, ABOUT 1700 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 170B AIRPLANE, N3482C, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN DURING TAKEOFF FROM AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING SITE ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF IGIUGIG, ALASKA. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND SOLE PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT TO HUNT CARIBOU. THE FLIGHT WAS DEPARTING THE LANDING SITE, RETURNING TO KING SALMON, ALASKA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT TOLD THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE DURING A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW ON SEPTEMBER 28, AND WROTE IN HIS NTSB PILOT / OPERATOR REPORT, THAT THE WINDS WERE A VARIABLE LEFT CROSSWIND, AND HE TRIED TO TIME HIS TAKEOFF TO USE A HEADWIND. THE PILOT ESTIMATED THE LENGTH OF THE TAKEOFF AREA TO BE ABOUT 1,000 FEET. HE SAID THE AIRPLANE LEFT THE GROUND ABOUT 2/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE TAKEOFF AREA AND WAS TOO SLOW TO CLIMB. HE INDICATED THE LEFT WING CAME UP, THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE TUNDRA, AND THE AIRPLANE SETTLED TO THE GROUND. THE PILOT HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED THE AIRPLANE, AND HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 15 HOURS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE AND MODEL.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.