# Accident 19990603006289A: Piper PA18150, Ephrata, WA, June 3, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 3, 1999, 14:41 local time
- Place: Ephrata, WA
- Airport: Ephrata Municipal
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.2709° N, 119.5908° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.2709&lon=-119.5908&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3189Z (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18150
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA99FA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99FA080) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990603006289A

## Narrative

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

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^                               .

## 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 SEA99FA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99FA080), Jun 3, 1999: Piper PA-18-150 (N3189Z), Ephrata, WA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The 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…

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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