- Date
- October 16, 2010, 08:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Merrill Field Airport, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4229MPiper PA-12
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Anchorage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20101016052249A
- Case key
- 77623
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 certificated flight instructor's failure to apply the correct remedial actions to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot reported that during departure the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and collided with a taxiway berm, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) reported that during takeoff, the airplane initially yawed to the left. He took authority over the flight controls and attempted to correct the yaw, but the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. The CFI stated that he should have closed the throttle as soon as directional control was lost.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that he lost directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane during the takeoff roll. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway and hit a taxiway berm that resulted in substantial damage to the empennage. The flight instructor reported that the airplane initially yawed to the left. He took over the controls and attempted to correct the yaw, but the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. The flight instructor had a total of 563 flight hours, but reported no flight time in the make and model of the accident airplane. The student pilot reported that he had a total of 9.8 hours of flight time with 4.5 hours in make and model. The flight instructor stated that he should have closed the throttle as soon as directional control was lost, and that he should have “executed a positive exchange of flight controls.”
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4229M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-3126
- Airframe hours
- 2,054
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290 SERIES, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aras Worthington
- Registered owner
- Aras Worthington
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 2010
- Departed
- PAMR · Merrill Field Airport, AK
- Destination
- PAMR · Merrill Field Airport, AK
- Airport
- PAMR · Merrill Field, runway 22, 2,000 × 60 ft, gravel
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 8, 2010
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 563 total · 0 in this make and model · 126 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 10 total · 5 in this make and model · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.62 inHg
- Observed at
- PAMR
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 14, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.