Taylorcraft 19 accident near Salcha, Alaska, March 4, 2001
On March 4, 2001 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Taylorcraft 19, registered N22N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salcha, Alaska (Hartman Lake Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to compensate for a tailwind during takeoff, and his delay in aborting the takeoff. Factors in the accident were a tailwind, and snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2001 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salcha, Alaska · Hartman Lake Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft 19
- Registration
- N22N · registry record · serial 4-13022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was departing a private airstrip in a wheel-equipped airplane. The snow-covered airstrip, oriented north/south, was 2,000 feet long, and 20 feet wide. The pilot said he began his takeoff roll toward the south, but the airplane had not become airborne by the time the airplane had traveled about two thirds of the airstrip's length. The pilot said he aborted the takeoff, but he could not stop the airplane before it went off the end of the airstrip into deep snow. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the left wing lift strut, and the right wingtip. After the accident, the pilot said he noticed a 5 to 7 mph tailwind from the northeast.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Flight time: 815 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 6, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Salcha AK at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 95Z North Pole AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,000 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.