- Date
- September 30, 2003, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Basin City, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4451ZPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20030930024329A
- Case key
- 58059
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
Clearance not maintained while on short approach to the runway. A factor was the corn stalks near the runway.
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 reported that the airplane's left wing made contact with multiple mature corn stalks while on short final to the grass runway. The airplane subsequently landed short of the runway resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar and engine mounts.
Factual narrative
On September 30, 2003, at 0945 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N4451Z, sustained substantial damage while landing at a private airstrip near Basin City, Washington. The airplane is owned by the pilot, and was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) instructional solo flight under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The student pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual metrological conditions prevailed for the local flight.
In a written statement dated September 27, 2003, the pilot reported that the airplane's left wing made contact with multiple mature corn stalks while on short final to the grass runway. The airplane subsequently landed short of the runway resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar and engine mounts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4451Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8798
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael P. Zimmer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- NONE · Basin City, WA
- Destination
- NONE · Basin City, WA
- Airport
- NONE · Dorman (Private), runway E-W
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 11 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.