- Date
- July 18, 1982, 16:40 local (23:40 UTC)
- Place
- Portland, OR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2146YPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820718029389A
- Case key
- 72301
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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, enrolled in a course for a commercial pilot certificate, was scheduled for a solo flight from seattle to bremerton, Washington and return. He departed at about 1300 PDT. At about 1635 PDT, residents near the crash site reported that they saw and heard a low flying aircraft circle the area several times, then crash. One witness reported the engine was sputtering as the plane passed over his house. The plane crashed in a wooded area. The left wing was torn from the fuselage, but a witness reported fuel leaking from the left tank. An investigation revealed that the fuel selector was positioned to the right tank and the plane had flown 3 to 5 hrs. Based on the flight manual, the plane would have used 21 to 31 gallons of fuel. The capacity of each tank was 24 usable gallons. A toxicological test of the pilot's blood revealed an alcohol level of .303%. The police and medical personnel stated that the pilot's seat belt was not fastened when they arrived at the crash site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2146Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 287916358
- Airframe hours
- 1,765
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Seattle Flight Service,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Same M & Mary E. Storey
- Departed
- BF1 · Seattle, WA
- Destination
- PWT · Bremerton, WA
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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 124 total · 7 in this make and model · 63 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 171 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.