Event ANC11LA038

Factual narrative

On May 27, 2011, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 206 airplane, N8665Z, sustained substantial damage during a collision with trees, while taking off from a private grass runway, about 5 miles east of Wasilla, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Alaska Sky Sports, Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) parachute jump flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airline transport pilot and the 5 jumpers were not injured. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on May 27, the pilot said the accident flight was the second flight of the day, and that the previous flight had been uneventful. In a written statement dated June 4, the pilot reported that during the accident takeoff he anticipated torque and P-factor, and a left crosswind. At rotation he heard a "pop," and the airplane turned sharply left. He corrected with rudder and aileron, but over corrected, and the airplane veered to the right, he reduced power, and attempted to regain directional control. The right wing struck trees on the right side of the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. On May 27, the airplane was examined by the NTSB IIC and an FAA aviation safety inspector at the accident site. In addition to damage to the right wing, the left wing impacted a group of trees, and the left main landing gear wheel separated from the airplane after striking a tree. The airplane came to rest in a grassy meadow on its belly and left wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. During a follow up examination of the flight controls and landing gear by the IIC, control continuity was established to all the flight controls. No mechanical anomalies were found with the main landing gear wheel brakes, and nose wheel steering. The fractured left landing gear leg was examined by the IIC and an engineer from the FAA Aircraft Certification Office. The fracture surface appearance was consistent with an overload fracture. During takeoff the airplane, which was taking off for a parachute jump, collided with trees lining the side of the grass runway. The pilot said that a previous flight that day had been uneventful. During the accident takeoff he said he heard a "pop" at rotation and the airplane pulled to the left. He corrected with rudder and aileron, and the airplane drifted right. The right wing struck trees on the right side of the runway and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. The left wing impacted another group of trees and the left main landing wheel separated from the airplane after striking a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane showed no mechanical anomalies that would have contributed to a loss of directional control during takeoff. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Contributed to outcome