20111022024819A

On 10/22/2011, the pilot and a passenger flew from birchwood airport (bcv) to an unimproved strip near Spencer Glacier, Alaska. He stated that he had landed on the same location a couple of years previously. He said that he made a fly-by before attempting a landing. During landing roll, both wings contacted cottonwood saplings and undergrowth. The left wing hit a larger piece causing the plane to turn sharply 90 degrees to the left. The plane dropped approximately 18 inches into a ditch as it came off of the strip and rolled to the right causing the right wing and aileron to contact the ground causing substantial damage. The pilot and his passenger egressed the airplane uninjured, secured the plane to a tree, and received a ride to portage by railroad workers who were in the area and witnessed what had occured. They subsequently went home that evening. The next day, 10/23/2011, the pilot flew with a mechanic back to the accident site. The mechanic made field repairs to the airplane. No maintenance sign-offs were made and the mechanic stated that the pilot did not attempt to get a special flight permit in order to fly the airplane out. The mechanic departed and the pilot decided to fly the airplane back to bcv for repairs. He stated that the weather was forcasted to get bad and needed to move the airplane to avoid bad weather.