Amateur-built Preceptor Ultra Pup accident near Chitina, Alaska, July 4, 2005
On July 4, 2005 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Preceptor Ultra Pup, registered N106TB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chitina, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff, and his premature lift-off resulting in a stall due to inadequate airspeed. The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2005 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chitina, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Preceptor Ultra Pup
- Registration
- N106TB · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot reported he was taking off in a homebuilt airplane from a grass airstrip. He stated that the airplane did not accelerate as quickly as anticipated due to the matted, grassy runway surface, and he elected to "pull the airplane into the air." The airplane was unable to maintain flying speed, and settled into trees off the departure end of the airstrip. There were no injuries to the pilot or sole passenger. The wings and fuselage of the airplane sustained structural damage.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,175 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vw 2180CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Chitina AK
- Destination: 0AK1 Anderson Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.