Piper PA-18-150 accident near Harrah, WA
On September 6, 1997, a Piper PA-18-150 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Harrah, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 6, 1997
- Place
- Harrah, WA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 46.400°N, 120.639°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08927
NTSB summary
On September 6, 1997, approximately 1015 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, N2349J, collided with electrical power lines while landing at Labbee Airstrip, Harrah, Washington. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, received fatal injuries, and the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which originated at Yakima Municipal Airport, Yakima, Washington, about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to witnesses, upon arriving at Labbee Airstrip, the pilot made two approaches from east to west. On the first approach he executed a touch-and-go landing, and then proceeded around the pattern. On the second approach, he did not touch down, but flew low over the runway. As he passed the west end of the runway, the pilot pulled the aircraft up steeply, and then after climbing a few hundred feet, initiated a steep left turn, resulting in a course reversal and an approach to the west end of the airstrip. After establishing himself on a high final, the pilot began slipping the aircraft, resulting in a rapid descent toward the approach end of the runway. Just after terminating the slip, the aircraft impacted the unmarked power lines near the west end of the runway. According to the FAA inspector who went to the scene of the accident, the power lines were about 40 feet above the runway surface, and located about 20 feet from the runway threshold. An inspection of the aircraft by thi
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a transmission wire while on final approach. A factor was a 40-foot high transmission wire located approximately 20 feet from the end of the airstrip.
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Browse: Washington · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
