Accident Overview
A solo private pilot was attempting to take off from a gravel bar in Alaska when the airplane collided with a smaller gravel bar. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left horizontal stabilizer, left elevator, tail cone, and engine firewall. The left elevator was missing the outboard six inches, as well as the left elevator horn and balance weight.
Pilot and Witness Accounts
The Alaska State Trooper who discovered and documented the airplane the day after the accident interviewed the pilot's hunting partner. The partner reported that the pilot said during takeoff the wind died, he lost ground effect, and the sun was in his eyes. The trooper documented tire tracks on the large bar leading to the river's edge, and tracks on the smaller bar ending at the airplane.
In a separate account, the pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) that he had landed on the smaller gravel bar the day prior to the accident, and that the damage occurred while he was taxiing. A pilot who transported the accident pilot to a landing strip for repairs told the NTSB IIC that the accident pilot taxied the airplane to the smaller gravel bar, across a 75-foot-wide by 3-foot-deep stretch of river at low water, and that the water level had subsequently risen. The trooper informed the NTSB IIC that it did not appear possible to taxi an airplane between the two gravel bars.
Investigation
The NTSB is continuing to gather information. No probable cause has been determined at this time.