Event ANC97LA103

Factual narrative

On July 14, 1997, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-22 airplane, N4520A, crashed during takeoff from a gravel airstrip at Chena Marina, about 5 miles southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. The sole passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. On July 15, 1997, at 1420, the pilot reported in a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), he was departing runway 18, and had just obtained liftoff airspeed. The passenger and pilot noticed an unidentified object run across the runway, under the main wheels. The pilot indicated he thought the object was a dog or child. The pilot abruptly pulled the control stick aft. At the same time, the passenger depressed the right rudder. Both actions were an attempt to miss hitting the object. The right wing struck the runway, and the airplane ground looped and nosed over. The airplane received damage to the wings, fuselage, and tail assembly. The closest official weather observation station is Fairbanks, Alaska, which is located 5 nautical miles northeast of the accident site. On July 14, 1997, at 1953, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was reporting in part: Wind, 260 degrees (true) at 5 knots; visibility, 30 statute miles; clouds, few at 10,000 feet, 25,000 feet broken; temperature, 59 degrees F; dew point, 39 degrees F; altimeter, 29.93 inHg. The pilot was departing a private airstrip toward the south, and had just obtained lift-off airspeed. The passenger and pilot noticed an unidentified object run across the runway under the main wheels. The pilot thought the object was a dog or child. The pilot abruptly pulled the control stick aft. At the same time, the passenger depressed the right rudder. Both actions were an attempt to miss hitting the object. The right wing struck the runway, and the airplane ground looped and nosed over. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12