20140308002309A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-18A · March 8, 2014

Date: March 8, 2014 · 13:00 local
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N8281C
NTSB investigation: NTSBANC14CA018
Reported as: Piper PA-18A
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-290 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,000 total1,800 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

N8281CRegistered now · Piper PA-18AS/N 18-3689 · Built 1954 Airframe modelPiper PA-18A Engine modelLycoming O-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot departed snow covered frozen lake and encountered snow drifts during take-off procedure and lost directional control causing the aircraft to strike the snow on the aft outboard end of the wing causing substantial damage. The rudder controls were inadvertently blocked by backseat passenger due to forces encountered while maneuvering over snowdrifts near lift-off airspeed.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DEPARTED SNOW COVERED FROZEN LAKE AND ENCOUNTERED SNOW DRIFTS DURING TAKE-OFF PROCEDURE AND LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO STRIKE THE SNOW ON THE AFT OUTBOARD END OF THE WING CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE RUDDER CONTROLS WERE INADVERTENTLY BLOCKED BY BACKSEAT PASSENGER DUE TO FORCES ENCOUNTERED WHILE MANEUVERING OVER SNOWDRIFTS NEAR LIFT-OFF AIRSPEED.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB ANC14CA018Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportTanana, AKThe passenger inadvertently interfered with the rudder control pedal, which resulted in a loss of directional control during takeoff.Mar 8, 2014 · Substantial damage