- Date
- March 30, 2001, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Scapoose, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N33657Piper PA-28
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010330004769A
- Case key
- 51995
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 a speed above minimum in-flight stall speed (Vs). Factors include gusty winds at the time of the attempted landing.
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
While attempting to land in wind conditions that were changing between gusty and steady state, the pilot became convinced that his airspeed was too high. He therefore raised the nose of the aircraft to bleed off airspeed. As the aircraft slowed, the pilot failed to lower the nose in time to stop the deceleration, and the aircraft stall/mushed into the terrain from about 30 feet above the runway.
Factual narrative
On March 30, 2001, approximately 1430 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28, N33657, impacted the terrain during an attempted landing at Scapoose Industrial Airport, Scapoose, Oregon. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by Pearson Flying Service, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Pearson Airpark, Vancouver, Washington, about five minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed.
According to the pilot, he was landing in winds that were changing between gusty and steady state. As he approached the runway in the gusty wind conditions, he thought his airspeed had become too fast. He therefore raised the nose in order to slow the aircraft. As the aircraft slowed, the pilot failed to lower the nose in time to arrest its deceleration, and the aircraft stall/mushed into the terrain from an altitude of about 30 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33657
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7525221
- Airframe hours
- 2,926
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aero Maintenance Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 10, 2000 · 88 hours before
- Departed
- VUO · Pearson Airpark, WA
- Airport
- SPB · Scaposse, runway 15, 5,100 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 30, 1999
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 3 in this make and model · 150 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.