- Date
- September 9, 2021, 20:00 local (Sep 10, 2021, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- North Pole, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N1441HAeronca 15AC
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA - Juneau Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20210909017989A
- Case key
- 103851
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 ensure adequate obstacle clearance while maneuvering, which resulted in a collision with a tree and a loss of control.
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, he was conducting a touch-and-go in his float equipped airplane on a pond directly to the south of a private runway. After he completed the touch-and-go, and during the initial climb, he altered his course to the right for traffic departing from the nearby runway and impacted a tree. He attempted to return to the pond but was unable and subsequently impacted trees and a powerline, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1441H
- Reported as
- Aeronca 15AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15AC-506
- Engine
- Cont Motor C145 SERIES, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Holder Jimmy R
- Registered owner
- Holder Jimmy R
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 20, 2021
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 5AK3 · Airway
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 71
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 8, 2021
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.59 inHg
- Observed at
- PAFB, 8 nm away
- METAR
- PAFB 100358Z AUTO 00000KT 6SM HZ CLR 15/09 A2959 RMK AO2 SLP024 P0000 T01480091 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.