- Date
- March 11, 2005, 18:00 local (Mar 12, 2005, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- St. Paul, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6407MJeffs J-Bird
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland, OR
- FAA report
- 20050311002329A
- Case key
- 61151
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 while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to fly at low altitude.
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 he was maneuvering the amateur-built airplane at "slow airspeed, low altitude" in a river valley. He further reported that the left wing stalled during a left turn. The airplane descended, impacted willow trees, and came to rest on a gravel bar. The fuselage, both wings and the empennage sustained structural damage.
Factual narrative
On March 11, 2005, at 1800 Pacific standard time, a Jeffs J-Bird amateur-built airplane, N6407M, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering in the valley of the Willamette River about 6 miles south of St. Paul, Oregon. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The personal flight was being operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight departed from Chehalem Airpark in Newberg, Oregon about 1730.
The pilot reported that he was maneuvering at "slow airspeed, low altitude" in the river valley. He further reported that the left wing stalled during a left turn. The airplane descended, impacted willow trees, and came to rest on a gravel bar.
An FAA inspector examined the airplane and reported that the fuselage, both wings and the empennage sustained structural damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6407M
- Reported as
- Jeffs J-Bird
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael E. Sanderson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 17S · Newberg, 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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 1,471 total · 1,413 in this make and model
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.