Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper altitude during the low pass.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot said he was 'dragging the strip' to check the suitability of the area for a future landing area for hunting clients. During the low pass the right wheel touched down in a hole. The airplane bounced, touched down in another hole, then nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 1, 1993, at 1500 Alaska daylight time, the pilot of a wheel equipped Luscombe 8A airplane, N71585, lost control of the airplane and crashed while maneuvering in a mountain valley near the Kijik River, approximately 30 miles northeast of Port Alsworth, Alaska. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, received serious injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Port Alsworth at about 1415, with a destination of the Stony River Lodge. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone interview on September 3, 1993, the pilot stated the following, in part: "I was trying to follow the map and fly through the mountains. I was not familiar with the area and had never flown that route before. I had flown through one little pass, then realized that I had gone the wrong way and was too far east. I saw a valley heading to the west so I decided to fly that way. I could see a saddle at the end and over into another valley. I had added power, but realized that the airplane wasn't going to climb high enough in time to get over the saddle, so I decided to turn around and get out. During the turn I didn't notice that the airspeed had got so slow. The airplane suddenly stalled and went into a spin. I might have got into a downdraft. I was pretty close to the ground, but managed to pull the nose up and get out of the spin and into a pretty level attitude. The airplane pancaked in right at the bottom of the pull up and the fuselage broke in half." -