20190818017569I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-18 · Nome, AK · August 18, 2019

Date
August 18, 2019 · 18:00 local
Place
Nome, AK
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1330A
Reported as
Piper PA-18
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
5,947 total82 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days

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 taxied the aircraft into position facing south on the road. Pilot stated, once in position, he applied power and accounted for any wind correction and p-factor. As the tail came off the ground the plane tracked almost immediately to the left at a faster rate than he could compensate for. At that point the aircraft left the road, glided momentarily off the river embankment, (approximately 5 ft. high) and into the kuzitrin river. The aircraft initially landed right-side up, the remaining momentum in combination with the swift current flipp the aircraft over. Once upside down, the pilot and passenger egressed the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT INTO POSITION FACING SOUTH ON THE ROAD. PILOT STATED, ONCE IN POSITION, HE APPLIED POWER AND ACCOUNTED FOR ANY WIND CORRECTION AND P-FACTOR. AS THE TAIL CAME OFF THE GROUND THE PLANE TRACKED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT AT A FASTER RATE THAN HE COULD COMPENSATE FOR. AT THAT POINT THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE ROAD, GLIDED MOMENTARILY OFF THE RIVER EMBANKMENT, (APPROXIMATELY 5 FT. HIGH) AND INTO THE KUZITRIN RIVER. THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY LANDED RIGHT-SIDE UP, THE REMAINING MOMENTUM IN COMBINATION WITH THE SWIFT CURRENT FLIPP THE AIRCRAFT OVER. ONCE UPSIDE DOWN, THE PILOT AND PASSENGER EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT.