- Date
- September 21, 2005, 19:10 local (Sep 22, 2005, 03:10 UTC)
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4384CChampion 7EC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03
- FAA report
- 20050921024409A
- Case key
- 62539
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering over wildlife, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent collision with trees. A factor contributing to the accident was an inadvertent stall.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private certificated pilot was maneuvering the airplane in the vicinity of a moose with an airspeed of about 50 to 60 knots on a CFR Part 91 personal flight, when he inadvertently stalled the airplane. The pilot said that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The airplane received structural damage to wings and fuselage when it collided with trees.
Factual narrative
On September 21, 2005, about 1910 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Champion 7EC airplane, N4384C, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during an uncontrolled descent while maneuvering in a remote area, about 12 miles north-northwest of Wasilla, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Wasilla Airport, Alaska, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) air safety investigator (ASI), on September 26, the pilot reported that he was maneuvering the airplane in the vicinity of a moose with an airspeed of about 50 to 60 knots. The pilot indicated that the left wing stalled, and the airplane then descended into the trees. The passenger notified search and rescue personnel. The pilot said that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The airplane received structural damage to wings and fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4384C
- Reported as
- Champion 7EC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7EC-410
- Airframe hours
- 2,030
- Engine
- Continental C90-12F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert D. Rasmussen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2005 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- PAWS · Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- Wasilla, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2003
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 603 total · 563 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- PAWS, 12 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.