- Date
- July 10, 1992, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Molly Creek, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3997ZPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920710026819A
- Case key
- 5753
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 misjudged his terrain clearance when planning his takeoff. Factors include high vegetation at the end of the runway.
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 pilot stated that he had used this landing strip at least twenty times with no problems. On this occurrence, the landing seemed no different, but during the takeoff the aircraft settled into brush on the east end of the strip and flipped over the embankment, where it came to a rest on its back.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3997Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7946
- Airframe hours
- 300
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Larry R. Bryant
- Registered owner
- Larry R. Bryant
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 2, 1992 · 125 hours before
- Destination
- CKX · Chicken, AK
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 9,999 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3997Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.