Found Acft Canada INC FBA 2C1 accident near Cold Bay, Alaska, July 24, 2015
On July 24, 2015 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 2002 Found Acft Canada INC FBA 2C1, registered N798, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Cold Bay, Alaska (Cape Sarichef airport). It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 3 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 maintain adequate distance from surrounding terrain during the takeoff sequence, which resulted in the airplane contacting the terrain, prematurely becoming airborne, and subsequently entering an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2015 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cold Bay, Alaska · Cape Sarichef · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Found Acft Canada INC FBA 2C1, built 2002 · all FBA 2C1s on the register
- Registration
- N798 · no longer on the register · serial 33
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, during a local public flight, he attempted to take off from an unimproved airstrip that included a dogleg right turn. About 100 ft after making the required turn, the pilot realized that he had not corrected enough to the right to get lined up with the straight portion of the takeoff area and that the airplane was drifting left. His failure to maintain adequate distance from surrounding terrain resulted in the airplane contacting a 5-ft-high berm, inadvertently becoming airborne, and entering an aerodynamic stall. The airplane subsequently impacted the tundra in a left-wing-down attitude, bounced, and then came to rest about 180 degrees from the takeoff heading.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,130 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 23,990 as pilot in command; 935 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 15, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,043 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 4, 2014; 171 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-L1C5 (piston); 171 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 26AK Cold Bay AK
- Destination: CDB Cold Bay AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; a few clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PACD, 85 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 23, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.