NTSB Factual Report

On March 4, 2001, about 1730 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Taylorcraft 19 airplane, N22N, sustained substantial damage during an aborted takeoff from a private airstrip about 2 1/2 miles southeast of Salcha, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on March 5, 2001, the pilot reported that he has a private airstrip at Hartman Lake. He flew to the lake earlier in the day to improve the snow-covered airstrip, and was departing when the accident occurred. The airstrip, oriented north/south, is 2,000 feet long, and 20 feet wide. The pilot said he began his takeoff roll toward the south, but the airplane had not become airborne by the time the airplane had traveled about two thirds of the airstrip's length. The pilot said he aborted the takeoff, but he could not stop the airplane before it went off the end of the airstrip into deep snow. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the left wing lift strut, and the right wingtip. After the accident, the pilot said he noticed a 5 to 7 mph tailwind from the northeast.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to compensate for a tailwind during takeoff, and his delay in aborting the takeoff. Factors in the accident were a tailwind, and snow-covered terrain.