20010830024669A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-12 · Fairbanks, AK · August 30, 2001

Date
August 30, 2001 · 18:00 local
Place
Fairbanks, AK
Airport
Chena Marina Airport
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N3416M
NTSB investigation
NTSBANC01LA130
Reported as
Piper PA12

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.

(-23) The pilot stated she accelerated on the takeoff roll when the aircraft began pulling to the left. The power was pulled off as the aircraft veered through the front yard of a residence,narrowly missing the property owner's aircraft, then coming to a rest after hitting a wood pile. (.19) on August 30, 2001, about 1800 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, N3416M, sustained substantial damage during takeoff from the Chena Marina airstrip, located about 5 miles southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. During a telephone conversation with the national transportation safety board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (iic), on August 30th, the pilot reported she applied full engine power to begin the takeoff roll on runway 36 at Chena Marina. The pilot said the left main landing gear tire encountered a rut on the runway, and the airplane began to veer to the left. The airplane began to depart the runway surface off the left side of the airstrip, and the pilot said she aborted the takeoff. The airplane continued to the left and collided with a stack of cut wood logs. Both the main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane received damage to the propeller, fuselage, wings, and wing lift struts. The pilot indicated the wind was from 070 degrees at 9 knots. The Chena Marina airstrip is a private airfield with a gravel surface runway that is 4,700 feet long.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT STATED SHE ACCELERATED ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN PULLING TO THE LEFT. THE POWER WAS PULLED OFF AS THE AIRCRAFT VEERED THROUGH THE FRONT YARD OF A RESIDENCE,NARROWLY MISSING THE PROPERTY OWNER'S AIRCRAFT, THEN COMING TO A REST AFTER HITTING A WOOD PILE. (.19) ON AUGUST 30, 2001, ABOUT 1800 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A TUNDRA TIRE-EQUIPPED PIPER PA-12 AIRPLANE, N3416M, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING TAKEOFF FROM THE CHENA MARINA AIRSTRIP, LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FAIRBANKS, ALASKA. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) LOCAL AREA PERSONAL FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT. THE PRIVATE CERTIFICATED PILOT, AND THE SOLE PASSENGER, WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC), ON AUGUST 30TH, THE PILOT REPORTED SHE APPLIED FULL ENGINE POWER TO BEGIN THE TAKEOFF ROLL ON RUNWAY 36 AT CHENA MARINA. THE PILOT SAID THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE ENCOUNTERED A RUT ON THE RUNWAY, AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO VEER TO THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO DEPART THE RUNWAY SURFACE OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRSTRIP, AND THE PILOT SAID SHE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO THE LEFT AND COLLIDED WITH A STACK OF CUT WOOD LOGS. BOTH THE MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE AIRPLANE RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, FUSELAGE, WINGS, AND WING LIFT STRUTS. THE PILOT INDICATED THE WIND WAS FROM 070 DEGREES AT 9 KNOTS. THE CHENA MARINA AIRSTRIP IS A PRIVATE AIRFIELD WITH A GRAVEL SURFACE RUNWAY THAT IS 4,700 FEET LONG.

NTSB investigation

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