20190530017049A

5/30/2019 ?

Dispatched to accident at 4PM. Upon arrival on scene coordinated with NTSB and documented bearings of impact and final resting location of the wreckage. Information known at this time:

1) Aircraft took off on runway 04.

2) Aircraft accelerated down the runway and performed a steep takeoff angle of approximately 30 degrees.

3) The aircraft nosed over at approximately 4-500? Above ground level and immediately entered a left hand turn at which point the nose dipped.

4) The aircraft was then in a nose down altitude and prior to disappearing below the treeline witnesses heard a sudden increase in power.

5) Prop scarring prior to impact in middle of road

A. no other marks in road until impact with berm on side of road.

6) No eyewitnesses of the actual impact but several witnesses saw the aircraft dip out of view. The initial ground impact point was at 61.576187, -149.531449 bearing 132 degrees which is approximately 760? From the runway number 21.

7) Aircraft wreckage was approximately located at 61.576010, -149.531713 bearing 141 degrees.

A. distance from initial impact to final wreckage location was approximately 70?.

8) During the accident scene walkthrough FAA iic ASI wst and ASI gav did not note clipped trees in the treeline near to the initial impact in the middle of the road.

9) M.e. arrived around 7:30AKDT and removed the body.

10) Front half of airframe landed in front of the engine at place of rest, rear half of fuselage and deceased pilot were behind the engine where the aircraft came to rest.

11) NTSB conducted flight control continuity check.

12) NTSB conducted primary flight control surfaces check, all parts accounted for.

13) During wreck haul out, noted right wing tank was empty, left wing tank was cracked/exposed, header tank was cracked/exposed.

A. overall at the crash site no strong odors of fuel were present. While moving the rightwing and fuselage one of the wreck recovery personnel work hardened a rigid aluminum fuel supply tube until it broke to separate pieces of the wreck for easier transport, I inspected the right wing end of the broken aluminum tube and did not smell fuel.

Witness statement (initials cdk)

6/4/2019 ? Received witness statement from NTSB counterpart. Statement reads:

?At approximately 1530 I observed a green airplane taking off from runway 04 at paws. I was located on soloy helicopters ramp. The aircraft rotated into a steep departure attitude and climbed to 3-5 hundred feet before making a left hand right wing high ag or hammerhead type turn. During the turn the top skin of the wings was visible. As he continued the turn and was in a nose down attitude I heard a noticeable power application either adding power or regaining power. He dropped behind a tree line and seconds later I heard an impact crunching sound.?

Witness interview (initials drc)

6-7-2019 ? Conducted witness interview, witness is a commercial airline pilot who was at the Wasilla Airport (paws) fuel pumps and witnessed the pilot take off. The witness stated that the pilot accelerated the aircraft down the runway on an excessively long rollout with the main wheels still in contact with the ground and the tailwheel off the ground. At the end of the runway the pilot then rotated the aircraft at approximately a 30 degree nose up attitude. The witness stated that the aircraft climbed to about 4-500? Above ground level and then may have had a rough sounding engine. The pilot nosed the aircraft over and proceeded to induce a left hand turn at which time the nose dipped. The aircraft went out of sight but the witness heard the engine rev up just prior to going below the treeline. The witness then heard the impact and called for emergency services.