Piper PA-18-150 N4389A

Summary

On 6 April 2002 at about 15:07 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N4389A was involved in an accident near Silesia, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 April 2002 at 15:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Silesia, Montana, United States

Coordinates

45.5508, -108.9006

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N4389A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laurel → Bridger

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA02FA063

2 people died.

The non-certificated pilot's inadvertent entry into a stall condition at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot departed Laurel, Montana, with his passenger at 0746 in the Piper PA-18-150. The wreckage was found shortly after noon the same day and there were no witnesses to the accident. Although the aircraft was extensively damaged by fire, 10-11 foot ground scars indicated a westerly track along the +5 degree up sloped terrain immediately followed by propeller slash marks 14 inches apart placing the aircraft's nose (longitudinal axis) along a west-southwest heading. The distance between the propeller slash marks and the final resting place of the aircraft's engine was 27.5 feet with the aircraft coming to rest with its longitudinal axis along an approximate north/south line (tail north). The leading edge of the left wing displayed aftward compressive damage characteristic of ground impact and the propeller spinner likewise showed aftward compressive damage. The right wing displayed no such damage. Propeller tip fragments were found embedded near the propeller ground slash marks and adjacent to the aircraft's tail. No control discontinuity nor mechanical malfunction was evident during the wreckage examination. A Garmin GPS III on board the aircraft provided 158 data points showing latitude/longitude and time beginning with the departure from Laurel and continuing up to a point coincident with the ground impact site. The track showed a marked left turn during the last moment of flight which terminated at 0807:22.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.