Piper PA-24-250 accident near Astoria, OR
On June 5, 2011, a Piper PA-24-250 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Astoria, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 5, 2011
- Place
- Astoria, OR
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 46.137°N, 123.874°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110605X20640
Official records · WPR11FA248
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 4, 2011, about 1741 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N511FS, crashed into an open field while in an uncontrolled descent. The accident site was in the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Astoria, Oregon. The location was about 1.0 mile south of Astoria Regional Airport's (AST) runway 31 landing threshold, and 0.4-miles west of the runway's extended centerline. The airplane was substantially damaged. The student pilot owned and operated the airplane, and he was fatally injured. At the time of the accident, the pilot was completing a solo, round-robin, cross-country instructional flight that had originated from AST, the pilot's home-base airport, between 1000 and 1100. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. A witness reported to a deputy Clatsop County Sheriff that he observed an airplane rapidly descend until his view of it was obscured by intervening terrain or vegetation as it approached ground level. The witness opined that the airplane had crashed. The witness was subsequently interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator. In summary, the witness indicated that while he was standing in a field about 0.6-miles west of the crash site, he observed the airplane between 1.5 and 2.5 seconds. During this time interval, the airplane was descending with its nose pointed nearly straight down, and it was turning (rolling about its longitudinal axis). No fire or smoke was trailing from the airplane
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in a stall/spin. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's distraction and anxiety from a reported failure of the airplane's electrical system.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
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- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · 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.
