- Date
- January 30, 2006, 09:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Gail, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N744Piper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Lubbock, Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20060130000919A
- Case key
- 63170
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The single-engine tailwheel-equipped airplane was performing a predator control flight while on a public use mission for a government agency. The 5,843-hour commercial pilot reported that the flight profile of the flight required operation at low altitude. The pilot reported that about an hour and fifty minutes into the flight, the airplane settled into a mesquite tree thicket while maneuvering. The pilot was able to add full power, arrest the descent, and eventually fly out of the thicket. The pilot found an open pasture about 1/2 mile from the location of the mishap, and landed to survey the damage to the airplane. The pilot found structural damage had occurred to the tail section of the airplane.
Factual narrative
The single-engine tailwheel-equipped airplane was performing a predator control flight while on a public use mission for a government agency. The 5,843-hour commercial pilot reported that the flight profile of the flight required operation at low altitude. The pilot reported that about an hour and fifty minutes into the flight, the airplane settled into a mesquite tree thicket while maneuvering. The pilot was able to add full power, arrest the descent, and eventually fly out of the thicket. The pilot found an open pasture about 1/2 mile from the location of the mishap, and landed to survey the damage to the airplane. The pilot found structural damage had incurred to the tail section of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N744
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8309009
- Airframe hours
- 11,679
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 1, 2005
- Departed
- SWW · Sweetwater, TX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- SWW · Avenger Field Airport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,843 total · 5,732 in this make and model · 5,653 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 67 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- LBB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N744 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.