What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) At approximately 1230 hours on December 19, 2002, Aviat A-1B, N57HY, impacted the ground while conducting FAA part 91 moose tracking study for the national park service utilizing a fish and wildlife service aircraft. The accident site revealed an impact crater about 6 feet diameter by 3 feet deep. The main wreckage was located 26 feet from the crater on a magnetic heading of 240 degrees. Both wings exhibited chord-wise crushing through their entire span. The right wing tip had impacted 7 feet from the impact crater edge. The right landing gear leg and wheel assembly was tucked up under the left landing gear. The nose of the aircraft, from the instrument panel forward, was bent to the right 80 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. The fuselage exhibited rotational twisting and accordian crushing along its longitudinal axis. The aft 3 feet of the fuselage and empennage were relatively undamaged. The flaps were deployed full down. One propeller blade was bent almost 90 degrees with the opposite blade undamaged. A complete analysis and evaluation of the flight controls and engine could not be accomplished at the site. With the information available at this time, the aircraft probably impacted the ground in a right spinning rotation with nominal to low power applied to the engine.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 1230 HOURS ON DECEMBER 19, 2002, AVIAT A-1B, N57HY, IMPACTED THE GROUND WHILE CONDUCTING FAA PART 91 MOOSE TRACKING STUDY FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UTILIZING A FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AIRCRAFT. THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED AN IMPACT CRATER ABOUT 6 FEET DIAMETER BY 3 FEET DEEP. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 26 FEET FROM THE CRATER ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF 240 DEGREES. BOTH WINGS EXHIBITED CHORD-WISE CRUSHING THROUGH THEIR ENTIRE SPAN. THE RIGHT WING TIP HAD IMPACTED 7 FEET FROM THE IMPACT CRATER EDGE. THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR LEG AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS TUCKED UP UNDER THE LEFT LANDING GEAR. THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT, FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FORWARD, WAS BENT TO THE RIGHT 80 DEGREES TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE FUSELAGE. THE FUSELAGE EXHIBITED ROTATIONAL TWISTING AND ACCORDIAN CRUSHING ALONG ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS. THE AFT 3 FEET OF THE FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE WERE RELATIVELY UNDAMAGED. THE FLAPS WERE DEPLOYED FULL DOWN. ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS BENT ALMOST 90 DEGREES WITH THE OPPOSITE BLADE UNDAMAGED. A COMPLETE ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ENGINE COULD NOT BE ACCOMPLISHED AT THE SITE. WITH THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME, THE AIRCRAFT PROBABLY IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A RIGHT SPINNING ROTATION WITH NOMINAL TO LOW POWER APPLIED TO THE ENGINE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.