MCCARTHY, AK, USA
N1879A
Piper PA-18
The pilot reported he was attempting to take off from a remote ridgeline with one hunting client aboard. He said the wind was gusting from the southeast at 5 to 20 knots. During the takeoff roll, the right wing struck Alder bushes, and the airplane was pulled to the right, collapsing the left main landing gear and damaging the left wing. The pilot wrote in his report that the accident could have been avoided by not attempting to take off from the ridge in gusty wind conditions.
On August 31, 1996, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N1879A, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during an attempted takeoff from an off airport site near Mc Carthy, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot and the sole passenger aboard were not injured. The local, 14 CFR Part 91 hunt/guide flight operated in visual meteorological conditions. The flight last departed the Ultima Thule Lodge, located on the Chitina River, about 1830. The pilot of the airplane is the co-owner of the Ultima Thule Lodge. The pilot reported he was attempting to takeoff from a ridge in gusty wind conditions. During the takeoff roll, the right wingtip struck adjoining brush and pulled the airplane sideways. The left wing subsequently hit the ground and the left main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said in his written report to the NTSB the accident could have been prevented by not attempting to takeoff from the mountaintop strip in gusty wind conditions.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusty wind conditions, and his selection of an unsuitable landing/takeoff site. A factor associated with the accident was the gusty wind.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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