- Date
- September 22, 2007, 19:00 local (Sep 23, 2007, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tyonek, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5050RPiper J3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20070923021679A
- Case key
- 66762
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, which resulted in an encounter with soft terrain and a loss of control during the takeoff roll.
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 departing toward the east from a remote airstrip on a Title 14, CFR Part 91, local area flight. The airstrip was about 600 feet long and about 15 feet wide. During the takeoff roll, the pilot reported that the airplane's left main landing gear tire encountered soft conditions along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane pulled to the left and departed the left edge of the airstrip, collided with high brush, and overturned. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing spar and the right wing lift strut.
Factual narrative
The private certificated pilot was departing toward the east from a remote airstrip on a Title 14, CFR Part 91, local area flight. The airstrip was about 600 feet long and about 15 feet wide. During the takeoff roll, the pilot reported that the airplane's left main landing gear tire encountered soft conditions along the left edge of the airstrip. The airplane pulled to the left and departed the left edge of the airstrip, collided with high brush, and overturned. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing spar and the right wing lift strut.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5050R
- Reported as
- Piper J3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15301
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald J. Pohland
- Registered owner
- Donald J. Pohland
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Tyonek, AK
- Airport
- runway 09
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 257 total · 205 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5050R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.