Whittman 8-W MODIFIED N12037

Summary

On 29 January 2019 at about 01:50 local time, a Whittman 8-W MODIFIED registered N12037 was involved in an accident near Prospect, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 January 2019 at 01:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Prospect, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Prospect State Airport (64S)

Coordinates

42.7172, -122.5172

Aircraft

Whittman 8-W MODIFIED

Registration

N12037

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prospect → Prospect

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA076

1 person was seriously injured.

The non-certificated pilot’s failure to ensure adequate fuel onboard prior to flight, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot was observed by airport personnel as he assembled the airplane over a three-day period. On the day of the accident, during the takeoff, the airplane collided with a runway light then departed the airport area. A search was initiated when the pilot did not return in a reasonable amount of time. The wreckage and the pilot were located the next morning about 1.8 nautical miles southwest of the departure airport in an area of thick trees and brush covered terrain. The pilot related to the airport caretaker that; the engine lost power due to “magneto problems.” The airplane was substantially damaged during landing. A postaccident examination of the magnetos revealed no anomalies with either magneto that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, the fuel tank was found undamaged and empty at the accident site and there was no odor of fuel or evidence of pooling fuel from possible fuel leaks. The pilot’s reported loss of engine power was attributed to fuel exhaustion due to his failure to ensure that sufficient fuel was available for the flight prior to departure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.