- Date
- December 8, 1991, 13:43 local (17:43 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9765TPiper PA-38
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19911208060419A
- Case key
- 5682
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 improper flare following an aborted takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent loss of control of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of total experience in the type of operation.
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
Just after lift off the airplane's wings rocked left and right several times. The pilot aborted the takeoff and the airplane landed hard on an approximate 30 degree heading from that of the runway, then skidded off the runway. A witness by the runway stated that the pilot appeared to be having trouble keeping the airplane aligned with the runway both on the ground and in the air.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9765T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 78A0194
- Airframe hours
- 1,977
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ulmer, Inc., doing business as Vernair
- Registered owner
- Ulmer, Inc.
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 27, 1991 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- TKA · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- TKA · Talkeetna, runway 36, 3,500 × 75 ft, snow
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 91 total · 82 in this make and model · 53 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 10 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TKA, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.