- Date
- June 12, 1998, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Angoon, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N171QCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980612020639A
- Case key
- 3156
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 directional control during the aborted takeoff. A factor associated with the accident was rough and uneven terrain.
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 certificated private pilot was attempting a northerly departure from a tidal beach. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll the airplane hit a bump, and became airborne prematurely. The pilot attempted to abort the takeoff, and the airplane slid sideways to the right. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that wind conditions at the time of the accident were from the east at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
On June 12, 1998, about 1000 Alaska daylight time, N171Q, a wheel equipped Cessna 172 airplane converted to a tail wheel configuration, sustained substantial damage during takeoff, about 10 miles west of Angoon, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated private pilot/owner, and the one passenger aboard were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Juneau International Airport, Juneau, Alaska, about 0700.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on June 12, the pilot reported that while departing to the north from a tidal beach, the airplane hit a bump, and became airborne prematurely. The pilot attempted to abort the takeoff, and the airplane slid sideways to the right. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.
The pilot stated that the wind conditions at the time of the accident were from the east at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N171Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28197
- Airframe hours
- 4,702
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Christopher H. Gates, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 3, 1997 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- JNU · Juneau, 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
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 200 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 15 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- 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.
Other investigations on N171Q · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.