A C180 FLAT PLANE ON TKOF RUN IS NEARLY HIT BY A JET SKI OPERATED BY AN UNDER-AGE DRIVEN ON CROOKED LAKE NEAR THE BCQ VORTAC; ANC; AK.

Narrative

AT XA30 ON JUL/SAT/01; MY WIFE AND I WERE SET TO DEPART CROOKED LAKE; AK; WHERE WE HAVE HAD A CABIN FOR 20 YRS. I WAS PIC OF OUR C180J ON FLOATS. AS IS NORMAL PROC; WE PULLED OFF FROM OUR DOCK AND SLOW TAXIED TO THE DEP POINT (1 ON ATTACHED MAP). WE CHKED THE VICINITY FOR BOATS AND JET SKIS AND SEEING NONE BEGAN OUR TKOF RUN. AS WE WERE COMING UP ON STEP A JET SKI CAME FROM BEHIND FREUNDLY ISLAND TO MY L AND ACCELERATED PAST US. SEEING THE POSSIBILITY FOR CONFLICT; I ABORTED THE TKOF RUN AND PULLED PWR BACK TO IDLE (2 ON ATTACHED MAP). THE JET SKI SLOWED AND THEN MADE A R 90 DEG TURN TOWARDS MY PATH. THE JET SKI OPERATOR DID NOT LOOK BACK BEFORE HIS TURN TO THE R. AT ABOUT 8 FT AWAY FROM ME; THE JET SKI SAW ME AND TURNED SHARP R TO AVOID MY L FLOAT. HE MISSED IT BY ABOUT 1 FT. THE JET SKI OPERATOR QUICKLY LEFT THE AREA AND MADE FOR HIS FAMILY'S DOCK (3 ON ATTACHED MAP). BY THE TIME WE HAD RETURNED TO THE AREA; THE JET SKI WAS PARKED AND HE HAD VANISHED. WE SPOKE TO AN ADULT ON THE DOCK WHO SAID SHE HAD 'SCOLDED' THE BOY AND FORBIDDEN HIM TO DRIVE THE JET SKI AGAIN. ON INQUIRY; WE LEARNED THE BOY WAS 13 YRS OLD; ALTHOUGH HE LOOKED MUCH YOUNGER. I HAVE BEEN FLYING SKI OPS FOR 16 YRS AND WATER OPS FOR 8 YRS OFF THIS LAKE AND HAVE NEVER HAD A CONFLICT ON THE LAKE ITSELF. I HAVE HAD TO GO AROUND ABOUT ONCE A YR ON LNDG AS A RESULT OF JET SKI TFC. THE PROLIFERATION OF JET SKIS OVER THE LAST 10 YRS REQUIRES THE UTMOST VIGILANCE BOTH ON TKOF AND DEP; PARTICULARLY SINCE MANY OF THE JET SKIS ARE DRIVEN BY YOUNG CHILDREN WITHOUT TRAINING AND UNSUPERVISED BY AN ADULT. AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT; A NEIGHBOR FILED A RPT WITH THE STATE TROOPERS ASKING THEM TO INTERVENE WITH THE FAMILY OF THE JET SKIER. WHEN I RETURNED FROM THE LAKE; I ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE TROOPERS.