Piper PA 18-150 N1979P

Summary

On 21 June 2018 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA 18-150 registered N1979P, operated by Simmons W Todd, was involved in an accident near Yellow Pine, Idaho, United States. One person was on board and 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

21 June 2018 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Yellow Pine, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Dewey Moore Airstrip (na)

Coordinates

45.1492, -115.0773

Aircraft

Piper PA 18-150

Registration

N1979P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1955

Engines

1

Operator

Simmons W Todd

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cascade → Yellow Pine

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18LA176

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while conducting a go-around and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at too low of an altitude to recover. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s lack of preflight planning, including his failure to obtain a briefing on the challenging, one-way airstrip, and his unfamiliarity with operating into and out of the airstrip, which was surrounded by mountainous terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal, cross-country flight as part of a flight of three. One of the pilots reported that, as the flight of three approached the one-way-in, 700-ft-long remote mountain airstrip, the lead pilot surveyed the area, and he reported that no other airplanes were in the area. Subsequently, he and the lead pilot landed at the airstrip uneventfully. After landing, he parked his airplane at the top of the airstrip facing directly down the runway, which allowed him to easily see the approach path to the airstrip. As he was waiting for the accident airplane to come into view, he asked the accident pilot “…you’ve been in here before, right”? The accident pilot replied that he had not, and the other pilot then reminded the accident pilot to fly “low over the creek.” He added that, when the accident airplane came into view, it was higher than the lead airplane had been on its approach. When the accident airplane had almost reached the extended runway centerline, the accident pilot added power, after which, the airplane pitched up steeply. The airplane then continued upstream of a nearby creek for about 1/2 mile with the nose up and “not climbing well, if at all.” The airplane then entered a left turn, followed by the left-wing dipping and the airplane entering a left spin. The pilot stated that he saw the airplane make 1 1/4 rotations before it descended out of his sight and impacted terrain and that the engine sounded like it was developing full power from the time of the initial go-around until impact. The pilot’s brother and one of the pilots who witnessed the accident reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot does not recall the events leading to the accident. Therefore, based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at too low of an altitude to recover. The accident flight was the accident pilot’s first attempt to land at the airstrip, which is confined by mountainous terrain and requires pilots to land one way and depart the other with virtually no go-around options during the approach. A plan view of the airstrip recommended that it “be used only by mountain proficient pilots who have had a checkout specific to the airstrip.” In an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association video made after the accident pilot recovered from his injuries, he stated that he was negligent in planning for the flight, which included not having obtained a briefing on the airstrip. The pilot also mentioned his lack of proficiency at the time of the accident. Therefore, contributing to the accident were the pilot’s failure to obtain a briefing on the airstrip, lack of planning for the flight, and unfamiliarity with the airstrip.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.