Piper PA-18 N2FD and Piper PA-18 N9699P accident near Dillingham, Alaska

Probable cause

Both pilots’ failure to see and avoid each other during initial climb, resulting in a midair collision. Contributing to the accident was the pilot of N9699P’s inability to use his airplane's radio for air traffic advisories.

NTSB analysis

Two pilots of the same model Piper float-equipped airplanes were departing from the same floatplane lake toward a mutual destination when they collided in midair near the edge of the lake. Visual flight rules weather conditions existed at the time of the departures. The floatplane lake did not have air traffic control services, although an adjacent Federal Aviation Administration flight service station (FSS) was operating and issuing air traffic advisories via radio to participating pilots.

The pilot of one of the airplanes, N9699P, discovered that the airplane's battery was dead during the preflight inspection and hand-propped the airplane to start it before he taxied on the lake to warm up the engine. He said when he applied power for takeoff, the second airplane (N2FD) was to his left and behind him. He indicated that he was unable to use his airplane's radio due to the dead battery. During the initial takeoff climb he said he saw something that flashed by and heard a loud noise. He then lost control and the airplane impacted the ground next to the lake, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.

The pilot of the other airplane (N2FD) said that he started his airplane and, while taxiing on the lake, contacted the nearby FAA FSS for a traffic advisory. He said that he did not hear N9699P on the radio. When he departed the other accident airplane was still on the lake to his right and, he believed, still taxiing to warm up its engine. He said that he heard a loud bang, and thought something had broken on his airplane, resulting in a loss of control and impact. His airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.

A witness said that he was in his house near the lake and heard two airplanes power up, one right after the other, and he looked outside to watch. Both airplanes started to take off from different areas on the same side of the lake and were headed in the same direction. He indicated that as both airplanes lifted off the water and started to climb, about 50 to 70 feet above the water, one airplane (N9699P) appeared to come up underneath the other's (N2FD) right wing. The witness said that the airplanes collided and tumbled to the shore of the lake.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC10LA094 for the full record.