ANC11FA037

The pilot's loss of control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in make and model, his lack of currency in FAA required takeoffs and landings, and his excessive loading of the airplane.

The pilot and four passengers departed on a cross country flight; witnesses reported that the airplane took off in a very nose-high attitude. One witness stated that the airplane went off the left side of the runway before becoming airborne, and, once aloft, it headed toward a row of trees on the east side of the airport. The airplane climbed over the trees, turned to the south, and then quickly rolled right and descended to the ground. A postcrash fire consumed most the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot’s logbook noted about 4 hours in the accident airplane, and, according to his logbook entries, he had not flown since June 12, 2010, after receiving instruction in the airplane, thus he did not meet the FAA’s recent experience requirement for the required number of takeoff and landings to carry passengers. The airplane’s estimated gross weight at the time of the accident was about 243 pounds over its approved maximum takeoff weight. Given the witness accounts of the airplane swerving off the runway during the takeoff roll, and of its subsequent nose-high attitude and rapid roll prior to impact, it is likely that the pilot lost control during the takeoff roll and then applied excessive nose-up pitch to become airborne. Once airborne, he failed to attain sufficient airspeed to avoid an aerodynamic stall, and the airplane descended out of control to the ground.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 27, 2011, about 1014 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180, N4955A, collided with terrain after a loss of control during the initial climb after takeoff from the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska. The airplane received substantial damage as a result of the impact and a postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to the pilot, and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The certificated private pilot and the four passengers were killed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to Seldovia, Alaska. Several witnesses stated that they saw the accident airplane takeoff from runway 19R in a very nose high attitude. One witness stated that the airplane went off of the left side of the runway before becoming airborne, headed toward a row of trees on the east side of the airport. The airplane climbed over the trees, turned to the south, then rolled right and descended into the ground. The witnesses said that the engine sounded like it was running at full power. During a telephone interview, a personal acquaintance of the accident pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), that the family was building a cabin in Seldovia, and he thought that this was the first trip of the year for the pilot. Another acquaintance stated that he had flown the accident airplane with the accident pilot in May 2010. During that flight he said the accident pilot almost stalled the airplane on takeoff, and after the flight he had told him that he shouldn’t try and fly the airplane by himself, and should get additional flight training in the airplane. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 46, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate without limitations on May 6, 2010. The pilot’s flight logbook was examined by the NTSB IIC. The logbook covered the period from April 4, 1982, through June 12, 2010, and indicated that he had logged 198.9 hours total time, and 3.7 hours in a Cessna 180. Between June 10, 2010 and June 12, 2010, the pilot received instruction in the Cessna 180, and completed the requirements of a flight review. He also received endorsements for acting as pilot in command of a tailwheel airplane as well as a high performance airplane. There were no entries after June 12, 2010. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The accident airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors O-470-K engine, rated at 230 horsepower at 2,600 rpm. The engine was equipped with a two-blade McCauley propeller. At the time of its last annual inspection, May 1, 2010, the airplane and engine had 4,908 service hours. The last annual inspection prior to the 2010 inspection was completed on December 7, 2000, at 4,906.4 service hours. The tachometer was found at the accident site; however, damage precluded determining the current reading. The engine had a major overhaul on June 2, 1994, and was operated about 240 hours before the accident. The most recent official weight and balance documentation was not located in the airplane records. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The closest official weather observation station is Birchwood, Alaska. At 1016, an aviation routine weather report (METAR) was reporting, in part: Wind 250 degrees (true) at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition, clear; temperature 55 degrees F; dew point, 39 degrees F; altimeter 29.86 inHg. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION On May 27, 2011, the NTSB IIC, along with another NTSB investigator, and an FAA operations inspector from the Anchorage Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site. The airplane collided with terrain in a rail yard approximately 700 yards southeast of the departure end of runway 19 right. The main wreckage came to rest upright, on an approximate heading of 050 degrees magnetic. The point of initial impact was determined to be a series of propeller strike marks, and pieces of fiberglass from the right wingtip, approximately 45 feet from the main wreckage. All of the airplane’s major components were at the main wreckage site. The majority of the fuselage was consumed by a postcrash fire. The right wing was crushed aft and bent upward to approximately mid-span, and had extensive fire damage over the entire span. The left wing showed leading edge damage near the wingtip, and the inboard half of the wing had fire damage. The empennage was mostly free of impact and fire damage from the front of the vertical stabilizer aft. The tailwheel assembly was broken and displaced upward from its mounts. Due to impact and fire damage, the flight controls could not be moved by their respective control mechanisms, but continuity of the flight control cables was established to the cockpit area. The engine remained connected to the engine mounts and was extensively damaged by the postcrash fire. The propeller assembly remained connected to the engine and showed extensive impact and fire damage. Both propeller blades remained attached to the propeller hub, but both were loose in the hub. One propeller blade was bent aft from the mid section approximately 130 degrees, showed leading edge gouging, and approximately 5 to 10 inches of the outboard blade was separated. The opposite propeller exhibited torsional twisting, leading edge gouging, and approximately 3 to 5 inches of the outboard blade was separated. One of the separated sections of propeller blade was heavily gouged, bent, and splintered. The other separated portion of propeller was gouged and showed chord-wise scratching. The runway the accident airplane departed from had a set of tire marks that were observed in the area that witnesses stated the airplane departed the runway. The tire marks showed a curved path leading from the edge of the left side of the runway, through the dirt, to a point approximately halfway between runway 19 right and runway 19 left. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION A postmortem examination of the pilot was done under the authority of the Alaska State Medical Examiner, Anchorage, Alaska, on May 31, 2011. The examination revealed that the cause of death was attributed to severe thermal charring, in addition to severe blunt force injuries. A toxicological examination by the FAA’s Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) on June 27, 2011, was negative for any alcohol or drugs. TESTS AND RESEARCH On May 31, the NTSB IIC, along with representatives of the FAA, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Continental Motors, revisited the accident site to further document the airplane and its components. Airframe The horizontal stabilizer trim setting was measured at 7.6 inches, which equates to minus 5 degrees. According to Cessna aircraft, the normal takeoff trim position is minus 3.5 degrees. The stabilizer trim setting range is from positive 1.5 degrees to minus 8.5 degrees. The fuel selector valve was found to be in the right main tank position. Seats Track Rails The two front seats are individually mounted on set of tracks, and each seat is individually adjustable, forward and aft. A seat adjustment handle is located on the left side of each seat. When the seat adjustment handle is raised, it disengages a spring-loaded locking pin from 1 of 17 holes situated on the top of the left side seat track rail. Once the locking pin is disengaged, the seat is free to roll forward or backward on a set of 4 rollers. On September 24, 1990, the FAA issued a revised Airworthiness Directive (AD) 87-20-03 R2, which defines the airworthiness requirements and minimum acceptable wear limits on the seat locking mechanism and seat track components. The AD states, in part: "...If the wear dimension across any hole exceeds 0.36 inches but does not exceed 0.42 inches