- Date
- August 5, 1996, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- King Salmon, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N54JKAviat A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 23, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960805025989A
- Case key
- 2875
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 inadequate weather evaluation, inadequate compensation for the existing wind conditions, and failure to maintain directional control. A factor associated with the accident was the gusty wind.
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 said he was attempting to take off from a remote, off-airport landing site in gusty wind conditions. He said a gust of wind 'stuffed' the airplane onto to the ground shortly after lift-off. He landed hard, and aborted the takeoff. The airplane subsequently ground looped and damaged the right wing and right main landing gear.
Factual narrative
On August 5, 1996, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Aviat Husky A-1 airplane, N54JK, sustained substantial damage during an attempted takeoff from an off airport site located approximately 23 miles southeast of King Salmon, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on August 8, the pilot said he was attempting to takeoff from tundra in gusty wind conditions. Soon after liftoff, he said a wind gust estimated at 20 knots "stuffed" the airplane hard onto the ground. He aborted the takeoff, and the airplane subsequently ground looped to the right, damaging a right wing rib and the right main landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54JK
- Reported as
- Aviat A-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1253
- Airframe hours
- 441
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1P, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary L. Cutsforth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1996 · 97 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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,640 total · 314 in this make and model · 2,570 as pilot in command · 330 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 30 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.