Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's delayed go-around procedure. A factor in the accident was the improper use of carburetor heat during the go-around.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot attempted a go-around in a tail wind with the carburetor heat selected. The degraded engine power limited climb performance out of ground effect and the airplane struck the terrain about 600 feet beyond the touchdown point.
Source record
Factual narrative
On October 4, 1993, at 1520 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18 Supercub airplane, N2765A, crashed into a riverbank during an attempted go-around maneuver. The location of the accident was approximately 60 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska, at a location known as "the short Bear Creek Strip." The flight had departed Fairbanks, Alaska, at approximately 1430 in visual meteorological conditions operating under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal reasons. No flight plan was filed. The pilot and passenger, the sole occupants, received minor injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The passenger told the NTSB that during the approach from the north to a 650 foot gravel strip, "a tail wind of about 8 mph" was encountered and the pilot "overshot the touchdown spot by about 150 feet." He said when the pilot attempted to go-around "it felt like he wasn't getting full power, like the carb heat was on." The passenger said that the airplane "did not climb and the wheels hit the four foot bank on the other side of the creek and we turned over." The airplane was reportedly equipped with 30 inch "Airstreak" tundra balloon tires. No statement was received from the pilot and no information was received regarding his pilot certificate information or experience. -