Event ANC03CA078

Factual narrative

On July 31, 2003, about 2200 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Taylorcraft F-19 airplane, N3694T, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a tree and nosed over during an aborted landing at a remote off-airport site, located about 30 miles northeast of Aniak, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo commercial certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Aniak Airport, Aniak, about 2030. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 2, the pilot reported that while flying over a prospective landing site located atop a mountain ridge, he inadvertently allowed the wheels of the airplane to touchdown. The airplane bounced, and the pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to abort the landing. During the aborted landing, the right wing struck a tree at the departure end of the site. The airplane subsequently descended onto soft tundra and nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing and the right wing lift strut. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The pilot was flying over a prospective landing site located atop a mountain ridge, when he inadvertently allowed the wheels of the airplane to touchdown. The airplane bounced, and the pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to abort the landing. During the aborted landing, the right wing struck a tree at the departure end of the site, and the airplane descended onto soft tundra. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the right wing and the right wing lift strut. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12