What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The aircraft privacy data omittedpilot of this experimental amateur-built aircraft, a zenith stol CH701 kit aircraft, called the Kenai flight service station and reported he had an accident during takeoff from the kustatan river approximately 17 miles west of Kenai, Alaska. The pilot stated the engine quit at about 50 feet after takeoff. One soul onboard, no injuries.
Pilot statement
09/15/2014: 1300 Hours:
Spoke with the pilot, what follows is his recollection of the events that led to the accident.
The pilot stated that he flew out to the kustatan air strip, after arriving at the strip he circled 2 or 3 times to assess the conditions on the ground. The pilot stated that the ground was wet so when he touched down he was nose high, when the nose gear contacted the ground it pushed water up and over the windshield. The pilot stated that when this happened it stressed him because it had never happened before. After landing he reached up and turned the fuel control levers to off. (The pilot stated that he had a fuel tank leak and that turning off the fuel is how he controlled the leak.) He conducted a walk around to ensure that there was no damage due to his landing, there was no damage seen.
He then went and walked around the area to assess how wet everything was and how he was going to take-off. After walking the airfield, he decided that he would take off with the flaps extended (something he said he had not practiced doing.) So he could keep the weight off the gear and get the aircraft in the air as soon as possible.
The pilot taxied the aircraft around and positioned himself for take-off; he put the flaps down and began the take-off roll. The pilot did not expect the aircraft to leave the ground as soon as it did, nor did he expect the nose to be in such a high attitude. Approximately fifty feet after leaving the ground the engine abruptly quit. He said because of the nose high attitude he bled off all of the forward airspeed and was not able to save his landing. He impacted the ground and slid approximately 20 to 25 feet.
The pilot stated that there were a few things that contributed to this accident. He was stressed from the water coming over the windshield. Because he was preoccupied with what had happened during the landing he did not run his pre takeoff checklist. He stated that in his checklist he would have turned the fuel control levers back on. He also stated he was not familiar with the aircraft flight characteristics of a flaps-down take-off, and that he didn?t practice taking off with the aircraft configured that way.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PILOT OF THIS EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT, A ZENITH STOL CH701 KIT AIRCRAFT, CALLED THE KENAI FLIGHT SERVICE STATION AND REPORTED HE HAD AN ACCIDENT DURING TAKEOFF FROM THE KUSTATAN RIVER APPROXIMATELY 17 MILES WEST OF KENAI, ALASKA. THE PILOT STATED THE ENGINE QUIT AT ABOUT 50 FEET AFTER TAKEOFF. ONE SOUL ONBOARD, NO INJURIES.
PILOT STATEMENT
09/15/2014: 1300 HOURS:
SPOKE WITH THE PILOT, WHAT FOLLOWS IS HIS RECOLLECTION OF THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE ACCIDENT.
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FLEW OUT TO THE KUSTATAN AIR STRIP, AFTER ARRIVING AT THE STRIP HE CIRCLED 2 OR 3 TIMES TO ASSESS THE CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE GROUND WAS WET SO WHEN HE TOUCHED DOWN HE WAS NOSE HIGH, WHEN THE NOSE GEAR CONTACTED THE GROUND IT PUSHED WATER UP AND OVER THE WINDSHIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENED IT STRESSED HIM BECAUSE IT HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. AFTER LANDING HE REACHED UP AND TURNED THE FUEL CONTROL LEVERS TO OFF. (THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD A FUEL TANK LEAK AND THAT TURNING OFF THE FUEL IS HOW HE CONTROLLED THE LEAK.) HE CONDUCTED A WALK AROUND TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE DUE TO HIS LANDING, THERE WAS NO DAMAGE SEEN.
HE THEN WENT AND WALKED AROUND THE AREA TO ASSESS HOW WET EVERYTHING WAS AND HOW HE WAS GOING TO TAKE-OFF. AFTER WALKING THE AIRFIELD, HE DECIDED THAT HE WOULD TAKE OFF WITH THE FLAPS EXTENDED (SOMETHING HE SAID HE HAD NOT PRACTICED DOING.) SO HE COULD KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF THE GEAR AND GET THE AIRCRAFT IN THE AIR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THE PILOT TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT AROUND AND POSITIONED HIMSELF FOR TAKE-OFF; HE PUT THE FLAPS DOWN AND BEGAN THE TAKE-OFF ROLL. THE PILOT DID NOT EXPECT THE AIRCRAFT TO LEAVE THE GROUND AS SOON AS IT DID, NOR DID HE EXPECT THE NOSE TO BE IN SUCH A HIGH ATTITUDE. APPROXIMATELY FIFTY FEET AFTER LEAVING THE GROUND THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY QUIT. HE SAID BECAUSE OF THE NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE HE BLED OFF ALL OF THE FORWARD AIRSPEED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SAVE HIS LANDING. HE IMPACTED THE GROUND AND SLID APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 25 FEET.
THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE A FEW THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ACCIDENT. HE WAS STRESSED FROM THE WATER COMING OVER THE WINDSHIELD. BECAUSE HE WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH WHAT HAD HAPPENED DURING THE LANDING HE DID NOT RUN HIS PRE TAKEOFF CHECKLIST. HE STATED THAT IN HIS CHECKLIST HE WOULD HAVE TURNED THE FUEL CONTROL LEVERS BACK ON. HE ALSO STATED HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF A FLAPS-DOWN TAKE-OFF, AND THAT HE DIDN?T PRACTICE TAKING OFF WITH THE AIRCRAFT CONFIGURED THAT WAY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.