- Date
- April 26, 1998, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Anchor Point, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8969VCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 17, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980426007829A
- Case key
- 3134
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 compensate for a crosswind. A related factor was the crosswind.
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 and three passengers were departing from a sand/gravel beach. The wind was blowing from the south about 7 to 10 knots. The pilot began the accident flight take off toward the west, utilizing a short field takeoff technique. Just after lift off, the airplane encountered a crosswind from the left. The airplane veered to the right, toward a small bluff and the right main landing gear struck a shoreline embankment shearing off the right main landing gear. The airplane came to rest in a small pool of water.
Factual narrative
On April 26, 1998, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 172M airplane, N8969V, sustained substantial damage during a collision with terrain while taking off from a beach area, about 34 miles west of Anchor Point, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The certificated private pilot, and three passengers, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on April 26, 1998, at 2125, the pilot reported he rented the airplane from Bush Air Ventures Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. The pilot said he was departing a beach at Clam Cove, located in the Lake Clark National Park. The wind was blowing from the south about 7 to 10 knots. The pilot began the accident flight take off toward the west, utilizing a short field takeoff technique. Just after lift off, the airplane encountered a crosswind and veered to the right, toward a small bluff. The right main landing gear struck the bluff, tearing off the gear. The airplane came to rest in a small pool of water.
The pilot had accrued 70 hours of total flight experience, all of which was accrued in the accident airplane. The pilot received his private pilot certificate on April 25, 1998.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8969V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-64325
- Airframe hours
- 4,916
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gregory W. Champion
- Registered owner
- Stephen Ginnett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 29, 1998 · 84 hours before
- Destination
- MRI · Anchorage, 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 70 in this make and model · 30 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.