Piper PA-18-150 accident near Ashland, ME
On May 4, 2003, a Piper PA-18-150 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ashland, ME. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 4, 2003
- Place
- Ashland, ME
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 46.604°N, 69.143°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030514X00655
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 4, 2003, about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, N46773, was substantially damaged during a collision with trees, while maneuvering near Ashland, Maine. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that departed Houlton International Airport (HUL), Houlton, Maine. No flight plan was filed for the commercial public use flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the owner of a fixed based operator at HUL, the pilot added 27.4 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline prior to the flight. The owner estimated that the pilot departed HUL about 0800. An employee of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stated that the pilot was under contract to perform aerial observation flights. Specifically, the pilot was tracking a lynx at the time of the accident. The employee added that the pilot would usually fly "a couple of hundred" feet above the ground while tracking radio signals from a collar secured to the animal. Occasionally, the pilot would fly lower to obtain visual contact with the animal. The employee added that the pilot was very experienced at aerial observation flights, and had accumulated several thousand hours of flight time conducting similar flights. In addition, the pilot had flown approximately 8 hours during the day prior to the accident. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight; located about 46 degrees, 36.27 minutes north latitude, and 69 degrees, 08.60 minutes west longitude. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The last entry in the pilot'
Probable cause
The pilot's impairment due to over-the-counter medications, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control while maneuvering.
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Browse: Maine · 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.
