Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot in command's delay in aborting the takeoff. The trees were a factor in the accident.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
During takeoff on a river, the pilot reported that the airplane got on the step quickly but would not fly. The pilot believed that the plane should have flown because he had departed from the area several times previously and the airplane was well below the maximum authorized gross weight. The pilot said that he allowed the takeoff run to continue too long before aborting.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 3, 1993, at 1000 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 180J airplane, N74CG, operated by the pilot and registered to his wife, struck a submerged log and trees during an aborted takeoff on the Clear Water River. The private certificated pilot in command and his two passengers were not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The intended destination of the personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, was Delta Junction. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. During a telephone interview, the pilot told the NTSB investigator in charge that during the takeoff run a change in both the direction and velocity of the wind was experienced and that in retrospect he should have aborted the takeoff sooner. -