Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff. A factor associated with the accident was the rough and uneven terrain.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported he was attempting to take off from a remote gravel bar. During the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a hump in the runway which pushed the airplane to the left. Shortly after passing over the hump, the airplane became airborne. The left wing then collided with trees and brush, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane subsequently went off the left side of the gravel bar and came to rest in a stand of trees and brush.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 16, 1996, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N6760B, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during an attempted takeoff from a remote gravel bar located in the Nabesna River drainage near Slana, Alaska. The solo private pilot was not injured. The personal, 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on August 19, the pilot stated that there was a small hump, or gravel swell, in the takeoff area. He said when the airplane encountered the hump, the airplane was forced to the left, and he was unable to maintain directional control. Shortly after passing over the hump, the airplane became airborne. The left wing then collided with a tree and brush, and the airplane subsequently went off the left side of the takeoff area, coming to rest in a stand of trees and brush. -