Thorp T 18 N1488
6 November 2015 · Independence, Oregon, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 November 2015 at about 23:30 local time, a Thorp T 18 registered N1488 was involved in an accident near Independence, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Independence, Oregon, United States
- Nearest airport
- Independence State (7S5)
- Coordinates
- 44.8367, -123.2008
- Aircraft
- Thorp T 18
- Registration
- N1488
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1968
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Independence → Independence
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR16LA023
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A separation of the canopy mechanism during flight, which resulted in the pilot’s precautionary landing and the airplane’s subsequent collision with a fence post.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot departed on a local flight; during initial climb, the canopy partially disconnected from the airplane and the airplane vibrated violently. The pilot made a precautionary landing in a field, and the right wing impacted a fence post. Postaccident examination revealed that the mechanism that allowed the canopy to move fore and aft and retained the aft portion of the canopy during flight separated at a weld, which resulted in airflow into the cockpit. The components were not made available for metallurgical examination and the failure mode could not be determined; however, it is possible that the separation was due to repeated loading on the canopy over time. According to the pilot and a representative of the airplane type club, the canopy design was unique to the accident airplane, and was likely the only one of its kind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Thorp T-18 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Aug 2012 | Thorp T-18 | Gilmer, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 2011 | Thorp T-18 | Plainwell, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 May 2008 | Thorp T-18 | Kent, Washington, United States | Roger Thompson | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Mar 1988 | Thorp T-18 | Advance, North Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 1987 | Thorp T-18 | Bowling Green, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1987 | Thorp T-18 | Riverside, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 2015 | Bell 206B | Dallas, Oregon, United States | Applebee Aviation Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jan 2015 | Schneider Richard J ALASKAN BUSHMASTER | Newburg, Oregon, United States | Sanderson Michael E | No injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 2015 | Knox Marion L RV-6A | Lebanon, Oregon, United States | Marion KNOX | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2015 | Beechcraft D35 | Sunriver, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 2015 | Hudson ZODIAC CH 601 XLB | Hubbard, Oregon, United States | Ralph A Hudson | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2015 | Aero Commander 500 B | The Dalles, Oregon, United States | Vanarsdale Air Service LLC | No injuries | - |