Piper PA-18-105 SPECIAL N7155K

Summary

On 22 May 2001, a Piper PA-18-105 SPECIAL registered N7155K was involved in an accident near Wilbur, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2001

Classification

Accident

Location

Wilbur, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.7917, -118.7667

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-105 SPECIAL

Registration

N7155K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wilbur → Wilbur

Aircraft damage

Substantial

NTSB number

SEA01LA102

1 person died.

A collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The reported purpose of the flight was to survey the farm's fields, with the pilot (one of the owners of the farm and the aircraft) and a farm worker aboard. The passenger reported that the pilot fueled the aircraft before departure. He stated that he and the pilot took off and flew the fields northwest of the farm, flying over the fields starting in the north and progressively working their way south. The passenger stated that after they looked at all the fields, they then turned toward the Wilbur airport, and that that was the last thing he remembered. The crash site was approximately midway between the Sheffels Ranch private airstrip (approximately 5 nautical miles north-northwest of the Wilbur airport) and the Wilbur airport. No other witnesses to the accident were identified. Visual meteorological conditions with light to calm winds were reported at the nearest weather observation stations during the accident time frame, which was around local sunset. Post-accident examinations of the aircraft wreckage were indicative of a relatively low-speed, right-wing-first impact with the terrain, but did not reveal any evidence of mechanical or structural problems with the aircraft or engine. An autopsy and toxicological tests did not reveal any significant underlying disease or impairing substances in the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.