Plane Crash List

Piper PA-18-150 N5762A

13 November 2001 · Brewster, Washington, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 13 November 2001 at about 23:15 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N5762A, operated by David C. Smith, was involved in an accident near Brewster, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 23:15
Classification
Accident
Location
Brewster, Washington, United States
Coordinates
48.1499, -119.8207
Aircraft
Piper PA-18-150
Registration
N5762A
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
David C. Smith
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Brewster → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
SEA02LA013

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The magneto was inadvertently switched off by the pilot during the climb. A tree was a factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that this was the first flight after the aircraft had been completely restored. The start, taxi and takeoff were normal. During the climb, at about 150 feet AGL, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot was unable to return to the airport, therefore he chose to land on a Highway that parallels the airport. The road was initially clear of traffic until a truck came over a rise. The pilot maneuvered the aircraft to the side of the road and just before touch down, the left wing struck a tree which spun the aircraft to the left. The main landing gear collapsed and the right wing contacted the surface. After the accident, the pilot immediately exited the aircraft, then returned to secure the cockpit when it was safe. The pilot found that the magneto switches, which are unguarded toggle switches located on the lower left side of the wall, were off. The pilot reported that he did not recall turning off the switches prior to exiting the aircraft. After the aircraft was moved back to the airport, the engine was started and run for several minutes with no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-18 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
19 Aug 2001 Piper PA-18-135
N9963Q
Palmer, Alaska, United States - No injuries -
23 Aug 2001 Piper PA-18-150
N91187
Van Horn, Texas, United States - Minor injuries -
8 Nov 2001 Piper PA-18-150
N9461P
Herald, California, United States - No injuries -
22 Jul 2001 Piper PA-18-150
N7696L
Tulelake, California, United States - No injuries -
20 Sep 2001 Piper PA-18
N7477L
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States Wind River Camps Minor injuries -
22 Aug 2001 Piper PA-18-150
N4329Z
Alice, North Dakota, United States - Fatal 1

All 2,950 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
30 Apr 2001 De Havilland DHC-2
N6781L
Seattle, Washington, United States - No injuries -
21 Jul 2001 Boeing E75N1
N65900
Spokane, Washington, United States - No injuries -
3 Sep 2001 Cessna T210L
N6721M
Olympia, Washington, United States - No injuries -
9 Jun 2001 Beechcraft E35
N7362B
Eastsound, Washington, United States - Serious injuries -
8 Sep 2001 Cessna 172N
N426SK
Pasco, Washington, United States - No injuries -
11 Mar 2001 Eurocopter AS-350 B2 ECUREUIL
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Mazama, Washington, United States - Minor injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States