Glennallen, AK, USA
N3695P
Piper PA-18-150
The pilot said he landed the airplane on a sandbar to have lunch. When he attempted to takeoff, the airplane was not accelerating fast enough, and he aborted the takeoff. He said as the airplane slowed, the main wheels encountered deep sand, and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the tail and a lift strut. He said there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
On August 10, 2003, about 1000 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N3695P, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over on a sandbar during an aborted takeoff, about 10 miles southeast of Glennallen, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) local personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 10, the pilot said he landed on a sandbar near Tazlina Lake to have lunch. He said when he attempted to takeoff, the airplane was not accelerating fast enough, and he aborted the takeoff. He said as the airplane slowed, the main wheels encountered deep sand, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot said the propeller, the tail, and possibly one of the lift struts were damaged. He said there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, which resulted in a nose over. A factor contributing to the accident was the soft sand of the sandbar.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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