Rich Wheeler Express CT accident near Madras, OR
On August 19, 2017, a Rich Wheeler Express CT (airplane) was involved in an accident near Madras, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 19, 2017
- Place
- Madras, OR
- Aircraft
- Rich Wheeler Express CT · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.643°N, 121.164°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170819X04607
Official records · WPR17FA185
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 19, 2017, about 1352 Pacific daylight time, a Rich Wheeler Express CT, N246TM, impacted the wall of a canyon while on approach to land at Madras Municipal Airport (S33), Madras, Oregon. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it 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 cross-country flight, which originated from San Carlos airport (SQL), San Carlos, California, with a final destination of S33. The pilot was planning to camp at Madras and participate in the Oregon Solarfest, where activities were being held for the viewing of the solar eclipse. The pilot submitted a reservation request and payment to the Madras airport operations on July 22, 2017, indicating that he intended to arrive on August 19 at 1400 and depart on August 21. A NOTAM was in effect at the time of the accident that provided instructions to pilots regarding arrival procedures they must follow to land at the Madras airport during the Solarfest. A Non-Federal Contract Tower (NFCT) was contracted by the normally non-towered airport to provide air traffic control services to help facilitate the increased traffic. The NOTAM instructed pilots that all arrivals must be conducted at the time of their assigned reservation and via the routes depicted in the NOTAM unless otherwise instructed by the controllers (see figure 1). When arriving from the south, the NOTAM stated that pilots should perform
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern for landing, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
- Piper PA-28-180, Sep 1, 1984
- Piper PA-28RT-201, Mar 12, 1984
- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
