Piper PA-18-150 N83679

Summary

On 11 May 1998 at about 12:30 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N83679 was involved in an accident near Artesian, South Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 May 1998 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Artesian, South Dakota, United States

Coordinates

44.0005, -97.9206

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N83679

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huron → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98TA145

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Purpose of the flight was predator (coyote) control for the State of South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks. The pilot and a gunner were attempting to chase a coyote out of a 'slew' into an alfalfa field when the accident occurred. The pilot reported they were in a left, slightly descending turn at an altitude of 150 feet above the ground when the stick went 'limp.' The pilot reported he added full power, leveled the wings, and applied forward stick pressure in an attempt to regain lift. The airplane continued to descend and it impacted the edge of the alfalfa field in a wings level attitude. Upon impact the main landing gear separated from the airplane and the airplane slid approximately 60 feet prior to nosing over. The pilot reported that he suspects 'wind shear' caused the accident. Winds reported 30 miles northwest of the accident site were from 140 degrees at 7 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.