- Date
- February 11, 2007, 13:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Alton, NH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N10438Maule MXT-7-180A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070211004459A
- Case key
- 65305
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 during the takeoff roll. Factors were the slick condition of the runway, and the lack of markings to denote the runway safety area.
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 of the tailwheel airplane aligned the airplane on the ice runway and advanced the throttle for takeoff. The airplane began to slide left, and the pilot reduced the throttle and applied full right rudder; however, the airplane continued sliding left and impacted a truck parked about 20 feet from the left edge of the runway. A 125-foot safety area existed around the runway, but there were no markings or signage present to prevent vehicles from encroaching on that area. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot wrote, "Due to the extremely slick conditions, slower application of power may have kept [the] aircraft from sliding left."
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the Maule MXT-7-180A, he aligned the airplane on the ice runway and advanced the throttle for takeoff. The airplane began to slide left, so the pilot reduced the throttle and applied full right rudder; however, the airplane continued sliding left and impacted a truck parked about 20 feet from the left edge of the runway. According to the airport manager, a 125-foot safety area existed around the runway, but there were no markings or signage present to prevent vehicles from encroaching on that area. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot stated "Due to the extremely slick conditions, slower application of power may have kept [the] aircraft from sliding left."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10438
- Reported as
- Maule MXT-7-180A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 210316
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- B18 · Alton, NH
- Destination
- SFZ · Lincoln, RI
- Airport
- B18 · Alton Bay Seaplane Base, runway 01, 2,500 × 100 ft, ice
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 244 total · 224 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.