Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area from the lake. Factors were the obstruction (point of land) hidden in the glare from the rising sun.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On September 9, 1998, at 0750 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Piper PA-11 airplane sustained substantial damage when it struck terrain during the takeoff run from Honeybee Lake, two miles south of Willow, Alaska. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91, as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot told two FAA inspectors who interviewed him at the accident site on September 9, and wrote in his NTSB Pilot / Operator report, that during step taxi for takeoff, while heading into the sun, the airplane struck a point of land extending into the lake. The pilot indicated that the point of land was in the shadow of some trees, and he was partially blinded by the sun. He said he misjudged the airplane's location in the lake. The airplane sustained damage to the floats and wing lift struts.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ANC98LA144