Longren CENTAUR L-13 N4062H

Summary

On 14 June 2003 at about 04:30 local time, a Longren CENTAUR L-13 registered N4062H, operated by Ben Stevenson, was involved in an accident near Chickaloon, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 June 2003 at 04:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Chickaloon, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.7500, -147.7500

Aircraft

Longren CENTAUR L-13

Registration

N4062H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ben Stevenson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chickaloon → Chickaloon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ANC03LA060

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power during the takeoff initial climb for an undetermined reason, which resulted in an in-flight collision with water.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot waited on a gravel airstrip for a thunderstorm and associated rain to pass before attempting to takeoff. In a telephone interview the day after the accident, the pilot said that during the takeoff roll, the winds were calm, but during the initial climb, the airplane encountered a downdraft and descended, touching down on a sandbar in a river adjacent to the airstrip. The airplane started to climb again, but was forced down by another downdraft. The airplane touched down on another sandbar, and after a third attempt to climb, was forced down into the river, where it nosed over. In a subsequent written statement, the pilot wrote "in retrospect, it appears there was a mysterious loss of power." He further noted in his written statement "that two witnesses stated there was little or no wind, and that the airplane sounded like a normally powered takeoff, but the sound quickly dwindled, as if the throttle was pulled back to abort the takeoff."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.