- Date
- August 3, 1996, 09:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5045XSportsman 2+2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 23, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960803020769A
- Case key
- 2870
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 failure to maintain control of the airplane which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's low altitude skidding maneuver.
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 taking off from a private lake in his float-equipped amateur-built experimental airplane. Shortly after lift-off, he saw another airplane departing a private airstrip near the opposing shoreline. The pilot said a collision was not imminent, but he elected to skid the airplane to the left to provide better separation. He said he was unable to recover from the skid, and the airplane quit flying, subsequently colliding with trees near the shore.
Factual narrative
On August 3, 1996, about 0945 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Sportsman 2+2 amateur built experimental airplane, N5045X, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees shortly after takeoff from a private airstrip near Wasilla, Alaska. The solo airline transport certificated pilot was not injured. The local, 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on August 4, the pilot said that soon after liftoff from Shaw's Tri Lakes, he saw a wheel equipped airplane taking off from the adjacent airstrip. He said that collision with the other airplane wasn't an issue, but that he elected to skid the airplane to the left to add greater separation. He said after he kicked the airplane to the left, it quit flying and stalled into the trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5045X
- Reported as
- Sportsman 2+2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 42
- Airframe hours
- 181
- Engine
- Lycoming, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gerald D. Parnham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1996 · 2 hours before
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,200 total · 2 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 107 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 80 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °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 N5045X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.