TYONEK, AK, USA
N4393Z
Piper PA-18
The pilot landed the airplane at an off airport landing site. He attempt to take off from the area during the hours of dusk. He stated the airplane's tail lifted off the ground during the takeoff roll, and then the airplane lifted off prematurely. After becoming airborne, the airplane drifted to the right, then the left wing struck muskeg, and the airplane settled into brush. The pilot stated he tried to stop the drift by applying full left rudder and full left aileron. The pilot also stated he felt the airplane's right wing stalled.
On September 1, 1996, at 2400 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N4393Z, registered to Allen Douglas Hulen, of Anchorage, Alaska, and operated by the pilot, crashed during takeoff from an off airport site adjacent to the Theodore River, located near Tyonek, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, was departing during dusk, and the destination was Anchorage, Alaska. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The certificated private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. During a telephone conversation with the pilot, he stated that he was taking off from a road near the Theodore River. The airplane became airborne prematurely and drifted off the right side of the road. He was unable to stop the drift, despite the application of full left aileron and rudder. The left wing struck the muskeg and the airplane settled into the brush. He stated that the airplane was not ready to fly, and believes the right wing stalled.
the pilot's premature liftoff and subsequent inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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