Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight planning/decision, and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane. A factor was the rough/uneven terrain.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot, involved in a hunt/guide operation, stated that the airplane veered off to the left and he could not correct sufficiently before it went off the side of the takeoff area. Both main landing gear collapsed, and both wings and the fuselage were damaged. The pilot was attempting to takeoff with a passenger, from an unimproved remote site approximately 700 feet long.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 28, 1993, at 1600 Alaska daylight time, the pilot of a wheel equipped Piper PA 18 airplane, N6819L, lost control of the airplane and crashed during an attempted takeoff from a remote strip located 21 miles west of Happy Valley, Alaska, and approximately 100 miles south of Deadhorse, Alaska. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and a company flight plan was filed. When the pilot reported the accident by telephone on August 30, 1993, he stated the following in part: "I was taking off from a tundra strip about 700 feet long. I had previously made 6 or 8 takeoffs and landings at that strip. I started the takeoff run with no flaps, then put in one notch of flaps when I got up some speed. The airplane did not seem to want to get airborne. I might have been a little late getting the tail off the ground. The airplane veered off the left and I could not correct sufficiently before it went off the side of the strip. The main landing gear collapsed, both wings were damaged, and the fuselage was twisted." -