Piper PA-22 accident near Willow, Alaska, October 10, 2005
On October 10, 2005 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N5947D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willow, 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 selection of an unsuitable takeoff area, which resulted in an on ground encounter with a river during an aborted takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2005 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N5947D · registry record · serial 22-4611
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot stated that he was departing on a 14 CFR Part 91 flight from an 800-foot long gravel bar, located adjacent to a river. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, as the airplane began to accelerate, he heard an unusual noise, and he elected to abort the takeoff. He said that he was unable to stop the airplane before the airplane went into the river at the departure end of the site. The airplane subsequently nosed over, and sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot noted in the recommendation portion of the written report he submitted to the NTSB: "Use longer gravel bar with no departure over water."
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: 1,270 hours in all; 1,225 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,238 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,637 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2004; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Willow AK at 5:30 pm
- Destination: SKW Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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 N5947D 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.