- Date
- September 16, 2011, 19:45 local (Sep 17, 2011, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N82907Piper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20110916021699A
- Case key
- 81859
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 delayed decision to abort the takeoff.
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 pilot reported that, during takeoff in his float-equipped airplane, he realized that the airplane was not going to become airborne before reaching the departure end of the lake. He closed the engine throttle in an attempt to abort the takeoff, but the airplane struck the shoreline and came to rest on the tundra adjacent to the lake, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing. He indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane and that the accident could have been prevented if he had aborted the takeoff sooner.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during takeoff in his float-equipped airplane, he realized that the airplane was not going to become airborne before reaching the departure end of the lake. He closed the engine throttle in an attempt to abort the takeoff, but the airplane struck the shoreline and came to rest on the tundra adjacent to the lake, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing. He stated the automated weather observation from an airport approximately 1 mile south of the lake was reporting wind from the east-northeast, but the wind appeared calm on the lake. He made the decision to takeoff to the west due to the calm wind, and to stay away from aircraft departing to the north from the nearby airport. He indicated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and that the accident could have been prevented if he had aborted the takeoff sooner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82907
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7909031
- Airframe hours
- 2,417
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PABE · Bethel, AK
- Destination
- PABE · Bethel, AK
- Airport
- PABE · Bethel - H Marker Lake, runway 27, water
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 25, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 75 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.52 inHg
- Observed at
- PABE, 1 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 1, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 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.