- Date
- June 18, 1989, 17:00 local (Jun 19, 1989, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Alder Creek, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4912ZPiper PA-22-108
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890618016819A
- Case key
- 5204
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
Selection of unsuitable terrain (unimproved strip) by the pilot. Soft/uneven terrain & low bushes on the strip, as well as alders beside the strip, were contributing factors.
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 plt rprtd he lost control of the acft during takeoff on a soft/rough strip covered with low bushes. Subsequently, the acft went off the rwy, ran into alders, & nosed over. The plt believed the acdnt may have been avoided, if the strip had been mowed so that its rough areas would have been seen.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4912Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-108
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 228998
- Airframe hours
- 2,864
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Philip A. Lefler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 6, 1988 · 7 hours before
- Airport
- Alder Creek, runway 6, 950 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 57 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.