Aleknagik, AK, USA
N6195D
Piper PA-18-150
The private pilot reported he was taking off in a gusty crosswind, when a gust of wind blew the airplane to the right shortly after liftoff. He said he elected to abort the landing, and the airplane touched down on the far right side of the runway, where the right wing struck a small tree. The airplane was pulled to the right, off the runway, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane received structural damage to the left and right wings, and the left aileron. The pilot said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
On July 25, 2005, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N6195D, sustained substantial damage during an aborted takeoff at the Aleknagik Mission School airstrip, Aleknagik, Alaska, when the right wing struck a small tree. The private pilot/operator and the sole passenger were not injured. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 local flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on July 26, the pilot reported that he was departing to the east, with a variable gusting wind that ranged from the east to the north. Shortly after liftoff, he stated that a gust of wind blew the airplane to the right side of the runway, and he elected to abort the takeoff and land on the runway. The airplane touched down on the far right side of the runway, and the right wing struck a small tree, pulling the airplane off the runway and collapsing the left main landing gear. The airplane received structural damage to the left and right wings, and left aileron. The pilot indicated that there was no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind conditions during an aborted takeoff, which resulted in an on ground collision with a tree. Factors associated with the accident are the gusty crosswind, and the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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