Piper PA 22-150 N7347D

Summary

On 16 May 2015 at about 17:30 local time, a Piper PA 22-150 registered N7347D, operated by Roger Anderson, was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, 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

16 May 2015 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.4495, -149.7894

Aircraft

Piper PA 22-150

Registration

N7347D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Roger Anderson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talkeetna → Talkeetna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC15CA026

Nobody was injured.

The private pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a spruce tree during final approach, which resulted in a loss of control and hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's failure to adequately monitor the landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and private pilot were practicing takeoffs and landings in a float-equipped airplane. The flight instructor stated that on the seventh approach to landing, the private pilot misjudged the airplane's rate of descent, and struck the top of a spruce tree with the right elevator resulting in a full up deflection of the elevator. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent, and impacted the water in a flat stalled condition sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and elevator. The flight instructor stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.