| Crash location | 61.775278°N, 149.857222°W |
| Nearest city | Willow, AK
61.747222°N, 150.037500°W 6.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N9077M |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 02 Jul 2006 |
| Aircraft type | Kennedy Chinook Plus 2 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 2, 2006, about 0645 Alaska daylight time, a Kennedy Chinook Plus 2 experimental amateur-built airplane, N9077M, sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees, following a loss of control during takeoff-initial climb, about 6 miles east of Willow, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 13, the pilot stated he had just completed the amateur-built airplane, and elected to make the first test flight by taking off from a dirt roadway near his residence. He reported when he applied takeoff power the airplane climbed steeply, and he was unable to lower the nose. He said he reduced engine power, and the airplane settled into the trees alongside the roadway. He indicated the wings and fuselage received substantial damage during the landing.
On July 18, the IIC spoke with an FAA aviation safety inspector who examined the airplane after the accident. The inspector said he did not discover any preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
In a written statement dated July 16, contained in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot wrote that after takeoff he moved the stick forward to remain in ground effect, but could not get the tail to come up, and the airplane climbed steeply. He reported that his shoulder harness precluded him from being able to push the stick all the way forward. He noted that he reduced the throttle, and with full back stick, mushed the airplane into the trees at the side of the road. In the portion of the report titled: Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented), he wrote, in part: " I believe I did a departure stall by letting it fly too soon."
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid an aerodynamic stall during takeoff/initial climb, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with trees. A factor associated with the accident was an inadvertent stall.