# NTSB ANC00LA112: Piper PA-18, N10572, Mcgrath, AK, September 2, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 2, 2000, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC) - Place: Mcgrath, AK - Coordinates: 63.6096, -154.77919 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=63.6096&lon=-154.7792&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 18, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 50986 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA112 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50986/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA112 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate removal of frost from the airplane, and the inadvertent stall during takeoff. A factor was wind gusts. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - ice/frost removal from aircraft - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The pilot told the NTSB investigator during a telephone interview on September 2, that during his preflight he noted frost on the wings and tail section of the airplane. He described removing the frost with a rope, and he believed he had adequately cleaned the lifting surfaces. The pilot said the airplane climbed to between five and ten feet above the off airport gravel bar, and then the right wing stalled. He said the right wing struck the ground and the airplane cartwheeled. The pilot said he believed frost on the airplane's wings caused the stall. The pilot wrote in his NTSB pilot/operator report on September 10, that the winds were gusty at the time of the accident. He wrote that as soon as the airplane lifted off, a gust 'caught the aircraft and forced the right wing down.' The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, tail assembly, and empennage. ## Factual narrative On September 2, 2000, about 0800 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-18 tundra tire equipped airplane, N10572, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during takeoff from an off airport gravel bar about 86 miles east-southeast of McGrath, Alaska, at 62 degrees, 01 minutes north latitude, 153 degrees, 19 minutes west longitude. The solo private pilot was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, as a personal flight, returning to Anchorage, Alaska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge during a telephone interview on September 2, that during his preflight he noted frost on the wings and tail section of the airplane. He described removing the frost with a rope, and he believed he had adequately cleaned the lifting surfaces. He stated the airplane had about 32 gallons of fuel, and 75 pounds of survival gear on board. The pilot said the airplane climbed to between five and ten feet above the ground, and then the right wing stalled. He said the right wing struck the ground and the airplane cartwheeled. The pilot stated that he believed frost on the airplane's wings caused the stall. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, tail assembly, and empennage. The pilot wrote in his NTSB pilot/operator report on September 10, that the winds were gusty at the time of the accident. He wrote that as soon as the airplane lifted off, a gust "caught the aircraft and forced the right wing down." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N10572](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N10572), registered now, S/N 18-933 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-18 - Registry model: [Piper PA-18-125](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-125) (registry code 7101812) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-290 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (registry code 41506, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 933 - Airframe hours: 2500 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Wayne E. Drumm - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 1, 2000, 20 hours before - Destination: MRI, ANCHORAGE, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: front; flight hours: 800 total, 750 in this make and model, 26 in the last 90 days, 26 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 45 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000902042319A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000902042319A), Sep 2, 2000: Piper PA18125, Mcgrath, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) On September 2, 2000, about 0800 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-18 tundra tire equipped airplane, N10572, sustained substantial damage when it collided… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.