- Date
- April 26, 2001, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Summer Lake, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N126DPMaule M-7-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010426006899A
- Case key
- 52182
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 decision to land on a dry lake bed without first taking action to determine the firmness of the surface. Factors include soft terrain at the location the pilot chose to land.
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 pilot elected to make an off-field landing in an area that had previously been covered by a lake when water levels were higher. The pilot used soft-field techniques, and the initial touchdown was uneventful. But, as the aircraft slowed, it sank into the soft terrain and nosed over. The pilot had taken no action to determine the firmness of the terrain prior to landing.
Factual narrative
On April 26, 2001, approximately 1200 Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-7-235, N126DP, nosed over during a landing on soft terrain near the edge of Summer Lake, Summer Lake, Oregon. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Bend, Oregon, about 45 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. The ELT, which was activated by the accident sequence, was turned off at the scene.
According to the pilot, he performed a soft-field landing in an area that had previously been covered by the lake when water levels were higher. Although the touchdown was uneventful, as the aircraft slowed, the main gear sank into the soft terrain and it nosed over onto its back. The pilot said he had not taken any action to determine how soft the terrain was prior to landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N126DP
- Reported as
- Maule M-7-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25004C
- Airframe hours
- 454
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-W1A5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dennis R. Pekkola
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2000 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- S07 · Bend, OR
- Destination
- Summer Lake, OR
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 24, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,395 total · 1,245 in this make and model · 1,341 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.