Event ANC93LA164

Factual narrative

On August 31, 1993, at 2100 Alaska daylight time, the pilot of a wheel equipped Bellanca 7GCBC airplane, N10987, lost control and crashed into the bushes while attempting to takeoff from a remote landing area on the Delta River, and approximately 20 miles south of Delta Junction, Alaska. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 at the time. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone interview on September 1, 1993, the pilot stated the following in part: "The purpose of the flight was to check out the area for future moose hunting. I landed at the area with no problem, then cut down some bushes and prepared about 600 feet for my takeoff. The airplane was pretty close to its maximum gross weight. I used two notches of flaps for the takeoff. Just after getting airborne, the airplane started turning to the right and I was not able to correct sufficiently before I hit an embankment and came to a stop in the bushes. The left main landing gear and the right wheel were torn off, both wings were damaged, and the tail and fuselage were bent." THE PILOT SAID HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF FROM AN UNPREPARED REMOTE SITE APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET LONG. JUST AFTER THE AIRPLANE GOT AIRBORNE IT STARTED TURNING TO THE RIGHT AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT SUFFICIENTLY BEFORE HITTING AN EMBANKMENT AND COMING TO A STOP IN THE BUSHES. HE SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS CLOSE TO ITS MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12