Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site. A factor associated with the accident is the rough and uneven landing site.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot reported he was landing at a remote off-airport site to replenish the grain supply for the horses he used in his hunt/guide operation. He said during the landing roll, the left main landing gear tire struck a rock and the left main landing gear collapsed. Soon thereafter, the right main landing gear also collapsed.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 13, 1996, about 1500 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, N7895H, sustained substantial damage while landing at a remote, off airport site located about 15 miles north of Chitina, Alaska. The solo student pilot was not injured. The personal, 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight departed the Strelna, airstrip, Strelna, Alaska, about 1450, and the destination was the accident site. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on October 3, the pilot reported that he was landing to the west on the 800 feet long gravel strip. He said towards the end of the landing roll, the left main landing gear tire encountered a rock, and the left main landing gear collapsed. He said soon thereafter, the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said the fuselage, lift struts and propeller were damaged in the accident. The pilot said the purpose of the flight was to bring grain to feed the horses he used in his hunt/guide business. -