Wolf SMITH M/P DSA-1 N168RW

Summary

On 20 June 1997 at about 22:19 local time, a Wolf SMITH M/P DSA-1 registered N168RW was involved in an accident near Bend, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 June 1997 at 22:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Bend, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Bend Municipal (S07)

Coordinates

44.0704, -121.2494

Aircraft

Wolf SMITH M/P DSA-1

Registration

N168RW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA97LA147

1 person died.

An inflight propeller blade separation, and a subsequent evasive turn to avoid traffic by the pilot at an inadequate airspeed resulting in an accelerated stall. Factors were excessive power output of the installed engine, an aircraft taking off in the opposite direction of the landing runway, and the aircraft's low altitude at the time of the stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot took off and circled the airport for several minutes, then entered a traffic pattern opposite the normal pattern direction for the runway. A witness in the runup area stated that while the accident aircraft was on final, he saw its propeller stopped. This witness stated that at that time, another aircraft was taking off in the opposite direction of the runway. The witness reported that he then observed the accident aircraft make a sharp turn away from the runway (at 50 to 100 feet above the ground), then abruptly enter a steep descent to ground impact 1/4 mile northeast of the runway. Only one of the aircraft's two wood/composite propeller blades was located; this blade had chordwise yellow scratches across its back surface. A yellow piece of the accident aircraft, with the appearance of an air scoop, was found 3/4 mile north-northwest the airport. The lip of this scoop was abraded 3/4 of the way around its circumference. No discrepancies indicative of engine malfunction were found in a post-accident engine teardown. The engine was rated for 200 horsepower, although the airframe was designed for 65- to 125-horsepower engines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.