| Crash location | 61.000000°N, 142.000000°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Glennallen, AK
62.109167°N, 145.546389°W 139.6 miles away |
| Tail number | N5965H |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 05 Jun 2013 |
| Aircraft type | Piper Pa 16 |
| Additional details: | None |
The pilot was departing in a tailwheel-equipped airplane from a remote, rough, uneven gravel bar. The pilot reported that during the takeoff run, the airplane did not accelerate as he had anticipated. He said that as the airplane became airborne, it collided with a stand of trees at the end of the site, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot also confessed that he initially elected not to report the accident, but later realized that the airplane wreckage had been photographed as part of a reality television show.
The pilot did not submit the required 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.
The pilot's loss of control during the initial climb after takeoff, resulting in a collision with trees.