Piper PA18 accident near Hood River, OR

On September 6, 2019, a Piper PA18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hood River, OR. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

September 6, 2019

Place

Hood River, OR

Aircraft

Piper PA18 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

45.674°N, 121.542°W

NTSB ID

20190906X45558

Official records · WPR19FA251

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

NTSB summary

On September 6, 2019, at 1009 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-18, N14365, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hood River, Oregon. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and private pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness observed the airplane during takeoff from Ken Jernstedt Airport (4S2), Hood River, Oregon. The witness stated it appeared as if it was in slow flight with a nose-high angle of attack. He observed the nose of the airplane pitch down, which he attributed to corrective action by the pilots, when the engine abruptly lost power. The witness reported the right wing started to drop and the airplane was half-way through a rotation/spin when it impacted the ground. He estimated that the airplane was no more than 100 ft above ground level (agl). Another witness was in the grass area on the west side of the runway marshalling airplanes to parking spots for an annual fly-in. He observed the airplane taxi and takeoff, with the engine producing full power. As the airplane was climbing after takeoff, he heard the engine lose power abruptly. The witness observed the airplane’s nose lower “as if it was trying to gain airspeed,” while the airplane began a turn to the right. The nose continued to lower, and the rate of rotation increased until the witness lost site of the airplane behind the T-hangars. The airplane came to rest on the northside of runway 25 adjacent to T-hangars, about mid-span of the T-hangar row, on a southerly heading facing the run

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power shortly after takeoff as a result of the private pilot’s failure to ensure the fuel selector was in the appropriate position and the certified flight instructor’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack at the time of the engine power loss, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control.

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 · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.