SEA05CA050

NTSB accident investigation · Aviat Husky A-1 · Kalispell, MT · February 17, 2005

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
February 17, 2005, 14:15 local (21:15 UTC)
Place
Kalispell, MT
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N22HUAviat Husky A-1
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 28, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20050217002199A
Case key
61038

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree located off the departure end of his private airstrip during an aborted landing attempt. Factors include trees located near the departure end of the runway.

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.

In flight collision with objectLanding - aborted
Clearance - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Object - tree(s)Factor
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

During a landing attempt at his private airstrip, the pilot allowed the aircraft to bounce high enough that he elected to abort the landing and come around for a second approach. He therefore added power and started to establish his initial climb, but then inadvertently allowed the aircraft to come in contact with a pine tree located just off the departure end of the runway. After contacting the tree, the aircraft spun around, dropped into another tree, and then slid to the ground. According to the pilot, there was no indication of any malfunction of the engine or flight controls.

Factual narrative

On February 17, 2005, approximately 1415 mountain standard time, a Aviat Husky A-1, N22HU, impacted a tree during an aborted landing at a private airstrip about six miles north of Kalispell, Montana. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed.

According to the pilot, during his landing attempt at his private airstrip, the aircraft bounced high enough that he elected to abort the landing and come around for a second approach. He therefore added power and started to establish his initial climb, but then inadvertently allowed the aircraft to come in contact with a pine tree located just off the departure end of the runway. After contacting the tree, the aircraft spun around, dropped into another tree, and then slid to the ground. According to the pilot, there was no indication of any malfunction of the engine or flight controls.

Aircraft

Registration
N22HU
Reported as
Aviat Husky A-1
Category
Airplane
Serial number
1355
Engine
Lycoming O-360-A1P, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Ray P. Zampieri
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
KFCA · Glacier Int. Ap, MT
Destination
Kalispell, MT
Airport
NONE · Private Strip

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
56
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Flight hours
848 total · 300 in this make and model · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 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.