ANC96LA073

The pilot reported he was taxiing his airplane fairly fast with the tailwheel raised. He said he lost control of the airplane and ground looped. Postaccident inspection disclosed a piece of World War Two-vintage communication wire wrapped around the left main landing gear axle and brake assembly. The pilot said he was unsure if the wire was picked up during the taxi just prior to takeoff, or at an earlier time. He indicated in his written statement that he now performs a closer inspection of his airplane prior to each flight.

On May 16, 1996, about 1800 Alaska daylight time, a "Tundra" tire equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N4319Z, sustained substantial damage while taxiing for takeoff at the Cold Bay Airport, Cold Bay, Alaska. The private pilot and sole passenger aboard were not injured. The local personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 at the time of the accident. A VFR flight plan was filed.

The NTSB investigator-in-charge had a telephone interview with the pilot on May 17. The pilot related he began to taxi from the parking revetment to the active runway. He said the wind favored runway 26, and he taxied "fairly fast", with the tailwheel off the surface, down the intersecting runway, runway 14, to the departure end of runway 26. During the taxi, he said he lost directional control for an unknown reason, and the airplane turned to the left. He said the airplane slid on the right tire for quite a distance, and then the right main landing gear collapsed, which allowed the right wing to strike the asphalt runway surface. The pilot said he could find no mechanical problems with the airplane that might have caused the loss of control. He did note that one of the right main gear legs had an unusual looking "spiral" to it, and that he was uncertain if the spiral occurred during the accident.

Subsequent information received from the pilot revealed that upon closer inspection of the airplane, a length of World War Two-vintage communication wire was found wrapped around the left axle and brake assembly. The pilot was unsure if the airplane acquired the wire during the taxi just preceding the accident, or some earlier time. The pilot wrote in his statement to the NTSB that since the accident, he has increased the thoroughness of his preflight inspections. The Cold Bay weather sequence report issued at 1751, indicates that the surface wind was from 290 degrees at 15 knots.

The airplane was equipped with Gar Aero wheel adapters and 29 inch tires.