Aeronca 15AC accident near Big Lake, Alaska, August 7, 2004
On August 7, 2004 at about 1:15 am local time, a Aeronca 15AC, registered N4433N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. 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 inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions and subsequent collision with high vegetation during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in a collision with the ground. Factors contributing to the accident were the presence of a tailwind and bushes at the end of the airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2004 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 15AC · all 15ACs on the register
- Registration
- N4433N · no longer on the register · serial 322
- 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 toward the northeast from a private airstrip that was about 1,300 feet long. There were power lines and trees at the southwest end of the airstrip. The pilot reported that the weather conditions included a temperature of about 85 degrees F, and the wind conditions were from the southwest, about 15 to 20 knots. He said he decided to depart downwind, toward the northeast, because of the obstructions at the southwest end of the strip. During the takeoff, the pilot indicated that the airplane lifted off at the end of the strip, but the left main landing gear tire and the left wing clipped bushes about 5 to 10 feet above the ground. The airplane then nosed into the ground and received structural damage to the right wing and the right wing lift strut.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 185 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Big Lake AK at 8:00 pm
- Destination: PABV Chugiak AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 195° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N4433N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.