Prescot E. Wilkie RV-3 accident near Payette, ID
On June 17, 2017, a Prescot E. Wilkie RV-3 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Payette, ID. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 17, 2017
- Place
- Payette, ID
- Aircraft
- Prescot E. Wilkie RV-3 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.103°N, 116.897°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170617X53052
Official records · WPR17FA128
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 17, 2017, about 1145 mountain daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-3 airplane, N177TT, impacted terrain following an in-flight separation of the left wing while maneuvering near Payette Municipal Airport (S75), Payette, Idaho. The airline transport pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and was being operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight, which departed S75 about 1140. A review of a video of the accident sequence revealed that the airplane departed runway 31 and then made a shallow ascending right turn to the north. Seconds later, the airplane made a sweeping left descending turn to align with runway 13. The pilot proceeded to make a high-speed, low-altitude pass over the runway, during which the airplane descended to less than 20 ft above ground level (agl), before the pilot executed a sharp pull-up maneuver at the departure end of the runway. After climbing the airplane several hundred feet, the pilot initiated a left turn to a northerly heading. Several seconds later, the airplane entered a descent, and the left wing separated from the airplane. The airplane impacted flat farmland about 3,025 ft northeast of the departure end of runway 31. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe 74-year-old pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, airplane multiengine land, and helicopter ratings. He also held a flig
Probable cause
The in-flight failure of the left wing due to the owner's use of improper hardware and his improper assembly of the airplane, which reduced the strength of the left wing and resulted in its subsequent failure following a sharp pullup maneuver.
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Browse: Idaho
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
