Pilot Debrief

RITTAL ALFRED TIMOTHY GLASTAR near Tuluksak, AK — 2009-09-23

Final reportANC09CA106
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Date
2009-09-23
Location
Tuluksak, AK, USA
Aircraft
RITTAL ALFRED TIMOTHY GLASTAR
Registration
N55XP
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A loss of control for an undetermined reason during the takeoff portion of an aborted landing at an off-airport site, resulting in a collision with terrain.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that he was on a Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight, and was attempting to land at a remote off-airport site adjacent to a creek. He said in a written statement to the NTSB that he flew over the site to inspect it prior to landing. He said he was on final approach to land when the airplane started to sink, landed hard, and he aborted the landing by applying power to takeoff. The next thing he says he recalls is waking up in the creek near the landing site. The pilot noted in his written statement that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and thought he had encountered a downdraft. In a later conversation with an NTSB investigator, he reported that friends who recovered the airplane saw glass fragments from the left wing's navigation lights on the runway, perhaps indicating the left main landing gear had collapsed on touchdown. The pilot said he had no recollection of this occurring, but said it was possible. The airplane was further damaged when it was dropped from a helicopter during the recovery flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen a different landing site after inspecting it.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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