Amateur-Built Hefty Polar Cub Went Down In A Residential Neighborhood In LOC Accident

The NTSB has released a preliminary report from an accident which occurred on Saturday, September at about 1630 local time.

The airplane, a float-equipped, experimental amateur-built, Hefty Polar Cub airplane, N62905, was destroyed following a loss of control and subsequent impact with tree-covered terrain in a residential neighborhood in Anchorage. The pilot was fatally injured, and a postcrash fire incinerated the airplane. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight reportedly originated in southwest Anchorage from Jewell Lake, about 1500, but the actual departure time and route of flight are unknown.

According to a friend of the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to fly over a proposed hunting site near Willow, Alaska, and then return to Anchorage. The friend related that the pilot and a group of friends were planning a fly-in hunt later in the week.

During on-scene interviews with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on September 10, multiple witnesses consistently reported that they observed the accident airplane complete two, low level, high speed, 360-degree right turns over the lower hillside neighborhood. The witnesses said that the accident airplane's first 360-degree turn was accomplished at an altitude between 150 and 200 feet above ground level (agl), but the second pass was much lower. One homeowner stated that as the airplane passed over his home, it was about 50 feet above his roofline.

The witnesses also reported that the accident airplane's bank angle increased significantly on the second 360-degree right turn. One pilot-rated witness that observed the airplane's steep turns estimated the bank angle in excess of 60 degrees during the second 360-degree turn.

Multiple witnesses reported hearing the airplane's engine operating in a manner consistent with high power settings throughout both 360-degree right turns.

Witnesses near the accident site reported that as the airplane completed the second, steep, 360-right turn, the nose of the airplane pitched down, and it began a rapid nose down descent. The engine rpm then increased significantly, and the wings rolled level just before impacting a stand of tall trees adjacent to a home. During the collision sequence the airplane's floats were severed, and the airplane subsequently descended onto a neighborhood road, coming to rest inverted. A postcrash fire ensued about 30 seconds after impact, which quickly engulfed the entire airplane.

The closest official weather observation station is located at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. On September 10, 2016, at 1553, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was reporting, in part: Wind 230 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 miles; ceiling and clouds, few at 2,500 feet; temperature 63 degrees F; dew point 43 degrees F; altimeter 30.14 inHg.

(Source: NTSB)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov