Accident Details
A student pilot, holding a student pilot certificate, was departing from a private airstrip with two passengers. According to an unsigned Pilot/Operator report submitted to the NTSB, after takeoff the airplane lost lift when the wind direction changed at tree-top level, leading to an aborted takeoff that resulted in the crash.
Witness Account
A witness reported that the airplane encountered a wind shear at tree top level before crashing on the runway.
Damage
An FAA inspector who responded to the scene observed significant damage: wrinkling on both sides of the fuselage; damage to the right wing lift strut; the main landing gear folded upward under the airplane; and a bent propeller.
Pilot Interaction
An Alaska State Trooper spoke with the pilot at the scene. The pilot stated he was planning to go hunting, that he had accrued about 300 flying hours, and that the airplane's annual inspection was expired. When the FAA inspector arrived, the pilot and others were disassembling the airplane. The pilot refused to speak with the inspector about the accident. Later that day, an NTSB investigator-in-charge called the pilot, who refused to provide his name or any additional information. The NTSB subsequently received an unsigned Pilot/Operator report from the pilot's address of record. FAA records show that the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate six days after the accident.