ANC07LA067

The airline transport pilot departed a gravel runway on a positioning flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. During initial climb after takeoff, the airplane would not pressurize. Upon inspection at the destination airport, it was found that the tail had dragged on the gravel runway during takeoff from the departure airport, puncturing the skin and pressure vessel.

On July 18, 2007, about 2102 Alaska daylight time, a Lockheed 382G-44K-30 airplane, N401LC, sustained substantial damage when the tail dragged the ground during takeoff at an airstrip 24 miles west-northwest of McGrath, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Lynden Air Cargo, Anchorage, Alaska, en route to Anchorage, as an instrument flight rules (IFR) positioning flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airline transport certificated pilot, co-pilot, and two loadmasters were not injured.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 19, the director of operations for the operator said during takeoff from a gravel airstrip, the pilot over-rotated the airplane, and the tail dragged the ground. He said the pilot reported that during initial climb after takeoff, the airplane's cabin failed to pressurize, and that an inspection of the airplane revealed a tear in the bottom skin of the tail, which compromised the pressure vessel of the airplane's cabin. The director of operations said the pilot told him the tear was not present during the airplane's preflight inspection.