- Date
- August 31, 1992, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sparrevohn, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N786BHPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920831034989A
- Case key
- 5794
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
Pilot exercised poor preflight planning/preparation by taking off with a tailwind component. Factors relating to the accident were: the unfavorable wind in the area and the rising hilly/mountainous terrain in the takeoff path.
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 lodge employee pilot reported that he took off from a small lake toward rising terrain that he could not outclimb. The pilot reported that he tried to turn around below the level and clipped a tree with his wing tip and the spreader bars on the floats. Aircraft impacted in marshy area near the lake. The pilot said that he believed he misjudged the takeoff and possibly accepted a tailwind component.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N786BH
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-789
- Airframe hours
- 4,115
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- James F. Ellis
- Registered owner
- James F. Ellis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 1992 · 165 hours before
- Destination
- Stony River Lge, AK
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,695 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 3,447 as pilot in command · 253 in the last 90 days · 124 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.