Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll and liftoff, which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was departing from a remote airstrip that was about 2,000 feet long, and about 40 feet wide. He indicated that the center of the airstrip was gravel, with 8 inch-high grass along the edges. He said that during the takeoff roll and after the tailwheel came up, the airplane pulled to the right, possibly due to the right main landing gear encountering the grass edge. The airplane lifted off to about 15 feet while drifting to the right, and the right wingtip struck trees that were along the edge of the airstrip.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 21, 2008, about 1620 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N5408Y, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during takeoff initial climb from a remote airstrip, about 2.5 miles south-southwest of Skwentna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private certificated pilot received serious injuries; the sole passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight was en route to Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 23, the pilot reported that he was departing to the west from the Tal River Lodge, located on the Talachulitna River. The airstrip was oriented east/west, and was about 2,000 feet long, and about 40 feet wide. The pilot indicated that the center of the airstrip was gravel, with 8 inch-high grass along the edges. He said that during the takeoff roll and after the tailwheel came up, the airplane pulled to the right, possibly due to the right main landing gear encountering the grass edge. The airplane lifted off to about 15 feet while drifting to the right, and the right wingtip struck trees that were along the edge of the airstrip. The airplane nosed down about 400 feet from the initial takeoff point, and received structural damage to the wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder.