Piper PA-18-150 N3573Z

Summary

On 14 August 2008 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N3573Z, operated by Graves Michael T, was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. One person was 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 August 2008 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.6191, -148.9796

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N3573Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Graves Michael T

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palmer → Eureka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC08CA108

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tarp used as a marker at the departure end of the takeoff area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was taking off from an off-airport site, ferrying supplies from a hunting camp under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He reported that the takeoff was unremarkable until he started the initial climb. He said the airplane would not accelerate or climb, and descended into willows off the end of the runway. The pilot said that when he examined the airplane after the accident, he found a blue tarp behind the wreckage. He said the tarp had been placed on low brush to mark the departure end of the takeoff area, and he believed that the tarp must have snagged on the tailwheel during takeoff, and kept the airplane from climbing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.