# Accident 19990206001069A: Piper PA18150, Belle Fourche, SD, February 6, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 6, 1999, 14:09 local time
- Place: Belle Fourche, SD
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.6604° N, 103.8501° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.6604&lon=-103.8501&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8075D (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18150
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99FA089](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99FA089) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990206001069A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF. THE 2 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. THE ACFT HAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19) ON FEBRUARY 6, 1999, AT 1415 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME (MST), A PIPER PA-18-150, N8075D, PILOTED BY PRIVATE PILOT/MECHANIC, WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN FOLLOWING A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DURING INITIAL CLIMB FROM A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP NEAR BELLE FOURCHE, SOUTH DAKOTA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP AT 1415. A WITNESS ESTIMATED THE HEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT TO BE 500 FEET TO 700 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WHEN THE "ENGINE STOPPED." THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL ENGINE SOUNDS NOTED BY THE WITNESS. VISUAL OBSERVATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED NO GROUND SCARRING TO BE PRESENT IN THE AREA AROUND THE RESTING POSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT. (-23) IA WILL BE REEXAMINED ON PROPER "RETURN TO SERVICE" AND LOGBOOK ENTRY PROCEDURES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI99FA089](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99FA089), Feb 6, 1999: Piper PA-18-150 (N8075D), Belle Fourche, SD, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: inadequate preflight planning/preparation, refueling not performed, and aircraft control not maintained by the pilot. The inadvertent stall by the pilot was an additional cause. Fuel exhaustion was a…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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