19990603006289A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA18150 · Ephrata, WA · June 3, 1999

Date: June 3, 1999 · 14:41 local
Place: Ephrata, WA
Airport: Ephrata Municipal
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N3189Z
NTSB investigation: NTSBSEA99FA080
Reported as: Piper PA18150
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft was towing glider when the spoilers opened on the glider. The glider pitched up causing the tow plane to nose down. Tow plane could not recover. (-23)pilot henry l. seatlem operating N3189Z, was taking off from runway 20 at eph towing glider, registration number N71AS. Spoilerson glider deployed during takeoff. Glider nose pitched up as pilot closed and locked spoilers forcing the tow plane into a steep nose down attitude. Pilot of tow plane could not recover aircraft from steep nose down attitude and impacted terrain, 74 feet from the end of runway 20. Tow plane caught fire on impact and was destroyed. Pilot incurred fatal injuries. Glider tow rope broke and allowed the glider pilot to circle air field and land undamaged. An interview with the pilot of the glider revealed that the spoilers were not locked for takeoff as required by preflight checklistprivacy data omitted .

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS TOWING GLIDER WHEN THE SPOILERS OPENED ON THE GLIDER. THE GLIDER PITCHED UP CAUSING THE TOW PLANE TO NOSE DOWN. TOW PLANE COULD NOT RECOVER. (-23)PILOT HENRY L. SEATLEM OPERATING N3189Z, WAS TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 20 AT EPH TOWING GLIDER, REGISTRATION NUMBER N71AS. SPOILERSON GLIDER DEPLOYED DURING TAKEOFF. GLIDER NOSE PITCHED UP AS PILOT CLOSED AND LOCKED SPOILERS FORCING THE TOW PLANE INTO A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. PILOT OF TOW PLANE COULD NOT RECOVER AIRCRAFT FROM STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND IMPACTED TERRAIN, 74 FEET FROM THE END OF RUNWAY 20. TOW PLANE CAUGHT FIRE ON IMPACT AND WAS DESTROYED. PILOT INCURRED FATAL INJURIES. GLIDER TOW ROPE BROKE AND ALLOWED THE GLIDER PILOT TO CIRCLE AIR FIELD AND LAND UNDAMAGED. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT OF THE GLIDER REVEALED THAT THE SPOILERS WERE NOT LOCKED FOR TAKEOFF AS REQUIRED BY PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ .

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB SEA99FA080Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportEphrata, WAThe glider pilot's failure to maintain control of his aircraft during spoiler retraction, which led to the Piper pilot's inability to recover safe flying airspeed within the altitude constraints at the time of the event. Contributing factors were the failure…Jun 3, 1999 · Destroyed