Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot failed to adequately compensate for the wind conditions. A factor was the unfavorable wind.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot said that just after liftoff from the water, and passing the edge of the lake, the airplane settled onto the tundra. One float attaching point and the surrounding area on the fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot said he thought he might have encountered a wind change or shear.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 20, 1993, at 1100 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N6721L, operated by Dahle Air Service, Inc. of Anchorage, Alaska, crashed during takeoff from an unnamed lake located 22 miles southeast of Pilot Point, Alaska. The commercial pilot and the one passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The business flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 at the time. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and a company VFR flight plan was filed. During a telephone interview with the pilot on September 22, 1993, he stated the following, in part: "I had just taken off and cleared the edge of the lake when the airplane just settled back down on the tundra. The winds were variable from the northwest to the southwest at about 15 gusting to 20 knots. I think I encountered a downdraft. When the airplane settled down on the floats, one float attaching point and the surrounding area of the fuselage was damaged." -