N5408YPiper PA-18-150 · 1964

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, he made an off-airport takeoff from a surface covered with standing water. The water created excess drag on the main landing gear, the tail rose and the airplane nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot added as a safety recommendation to add more weight in the tail, avoid taking off in water, and to abort the takeoff attempt when first signs of trouble arise.

According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, she over flew the sand bar that she wanted to land on, in order to ensure that the area was free of hazards. She reported that she executed the approach, touched down, and during the landing roll, "I hit the brakes too hard" and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer.

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies during the flight with any portion of the airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations.

On June 21, 2008, about 1620 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N5408Y, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during takeoff initial climb from a remote airstrip, about 2.5 miles south-southwest of Skwentna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private certificated pilot received serious injuries; the sole passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight was en route to Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, and no flight plan was filed.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 23, the pilot reported that he was departing to the west from the Tal River Lodge, located on the Talachulitna River. The airstrip was oriented east/west, and was about 2,000 feet long, and about 40 feet wide. The pilot indicated that the center of the airstrip was gravel, with 8 inch-high grass along the edges. He said that during the takeoff roll and after the tailwheel came up, the airplane pulled to the right, possibly due to the right main landing gear encountering the grass edge. The airplane lifted off to about 15 feet while drifting to the right, and the right wingtip struck trees that were along the edge of the airstrip. The airplane nosed down about 400 feet from the initial takeoff point, and received structural damage to the wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder.