Accident Overview
On September 2, 2015, at approximately 1500 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-28 airplane (registration N7494R) sustained substantial damage after a loss of control during landing at Lakloey Air Park in North Pole, Alaska. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a visual flight rules (VFR) operation. The student pilot reported minor injuries, and the sole passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed.
Witness and Pilot Accounts
According to a passenger interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on the day of the accident, the airplane had flown over a moose hunting area before returning for landing. After touchdown, during the landing roll, the airplane veered left, then right, and then sharply left again before departing the runway and impacting a stand of birch trees. The passenger noted that the airplane performed well throughout the flight and that the pilot did not discuss any mechanical issues.
During an interview with the NTSB IIC on September 3, the student pilot stated that the only recollection of the accident flight was being on short final for runway 24 at Lakloey Air Park.
A pilot-rated witness positioned at the northeast corner of the airport observed the accident airplane on final approach for runway 24—a downwind landing given the wind conditions. The witness reported light wind from the east at 8 to 10 knots and noted that the airplane appeared "a little fast," estimating its groundspeed at about 60 miles per hour. After touchdown, the witness saw the airplane veer left, then right, then back sharply left before exiting the runway.
Aircraft Examination
The NTSB IIC arrived at the accident site on the morning of September 3. The airplane came to rest upright in a dense stand of birch trees near midfield and adjacent to runway 24, oriented on a heading of about 250 degrees. All primary flight controls were identified. Continuity was established for the stabilator from the control column to the balance arm, for the rudder from the torque tube to the rudder horn, and for the ailerons. The right aileron cable fractured with features consistent with tension overload, and the balance cable also exhibited tension overload fractures. Both fractures were consistent with impact forces.
Substantial damage was sustained to the wings and fuselage. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Information
The closest weather reporting facility, Ladd Army Airfield in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, approximately 3 miles west of the accident site, reported at 1458: wind from 090 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 67°F, dew point 37°F, altimeter 29.87 inHg.
Regulatory Context
Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 61 prescribes requirements for pilot certificates and ratings. Section 61.89 states that a student pilot may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying a passenger. At the time of the accident, the student pilot was carrying a passenger.