On September 3, 2002, a Cessna 185 (registration N9808X) was involved in an aviation accident near Seward, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A loss of directional control of the airplane due to the failure of the pilot to correct for torque/P Factor during the takeoff roll. A factor in the accident was a wet grass surface. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Aircraft registered N9808X. Photo: Jeroen Stroes Aviation Photography from Netherlands / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A commercial pilot departing a remote grass airstrip in a tundra tire-equipped airplane veered left, struck a small tree, then collided with a large tree, damaging the wing, fuselage, engine mounts, and propeller.
Accident Details
The accident involved a commercial certificated pilot operating a tundra tire-equipped airplane. The departure was from a remote grass-covered airstrip. The airstrip, oriented northeast/southwest, measures approximately 800 feet in length and 30 feet in width. According to the pilot, after taxiing to the end of the strip, he initiated a departure toward the southwest. Upon applying full power, the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the veer by applying the right brake, but the airplane slid on the wet grass surface. Subsequently, the left wing struck the top of a small tree along the left side of the airstrip. The pilot reported that the airplane then continued in a left arc off the left side of the runway and collided with a large tree. Damage was sustained to the left wing, fuselage, engine motor mounts, and propeller.
