WULIK RIVER, AK, USA
N2384D
CESSNA 170B
THE PILOT SAID WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF FROM A MOUNTAIN RIDGE, THE LEFT MAIN WHEEL ENTERED A DEPRESSION AND HE HAD TO USE HARDER THAN NORMAL CONTROL FORCES TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE ALIGNED WITH THE TAKEOFF PATH. WHEN THE AIRPLANE CAME OUT OF THE DEPRESSION, IT BOUNCED INTO THE AIR AND BECAUSE OF THE LEFT QUARTERING HEADWIND, IT CAME BACK DOWN ON THE RIGHT MAIN WHEEL AND THE RIGHT WING. THE AIRPLANE THEN SPUN AROUND CLOCKWISE ABOUT 180 DEGREES AND HIT ON THE NOSE, THEN THE LEFT WING. BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR BOXES WERE TORN OUT OF THE FUSELAGE, WHICH WAS ALSO DAMAGED.
On September 2, 1993, at 2230 Alaska daylight time, the pilot of a wheel equipped Cessna 170 airplane, N2384D, lost control and dragged a wing while attempting to takeoff from a mountain ridge near the Wulik River, approximately 80 miles northwest of Kotzebue, Alaska. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, was destined for another remote landing area located about 1 mile away from the accident site. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and a VFR flight plan was filed. When the pilot was contacted by telephone on September 7, 1993, he stated the following, in part: "During the takeoff roll, the left main wheel got into a depression and I had to use harder than normal control forces to keep the airplane aligned with the takeoff path. When the airplane came out of the depression, it bounced into the air and because of the left quartering headwind, it came back down on the right main wheel and the right wing. The airplane then spun around clockwise about 180 degrees and hit on the nose, then the left wing. Both main landing gear boxes were torn out of the fuselage, which was also damaged." The pilot's statement on the accident report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) varies considerably from his telephone statement on September 7, 1993.
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. A FACTOR WAS THE CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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