- Date
- June 10, 1995, 16:00 local (Jun 11, 1995, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N86135Champion 11BC-S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950610017879A
- Case key
- 2663
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 compensation for the wind conditions. Factors associated with the accident are gusty winds and associated downdrafts.
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 reported he was attempting to takeoff from a small lake in gusty wind conditions. Shortly after takeoff, he said the airplane encountered a downdraft, and that he was forced to lower the nose of the airplane to maintain flying speed. The airplane descended until it collided with terrain.
Factual narrative
On June 10, 1995, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Champion 11BC-S airplane, N86135, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from an unnamed lake located approximately 20 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska. The commercial pilot received serious injury. The one passenger aboard was not injured. The personal flight operated without a flight plan in visual meteorological conditions. The flight's intended destination was Kenai, Alaska.
The pilot reported he was attempting to takeoff from a small lake in gusty wind conditions. He estimated the winds at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots from the north. He said he made a step turn taxi from the south to the north, to make a northerly takeoff run. Soon after takeoff, he said he encountered a downdraft and realized he had low airspeed and minimal altitude above the brush-covered terrain. He lowered the nose of the airplane to increase airspeed, but in the process lost altitude and collided with terrain.
The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomaly with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86135
- Reported as
- Champion 11BC-S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 562
- Airframe hours
- 1,855
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12-F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Morris J. Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 28, 1995 · 8 hours before
- Destination
- ENA · Kenai, 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 25 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.