- Date
- May 15, 1989, 11:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Copalis Beach, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8978RChampion 7GCB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890515017419A
- Case key
- 41015
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 perform the necessary preflight planning and preparation which resulted in the selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. Contributing to the accident was the soft sand bar.
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 landed on soft sand on a closed Beach airstrip, resulting in an overstress fracture of the left main landing gear strut during landing roll. The wings and fuselage were damaged by impact with the ground during an abrupt swerve after the landing gear strut collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8978R
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7GCB
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert S. Stone
- Registered owner
- Robert S Stone
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Olympia, WA
- Destination
- S16 · Copalis Beach, WA
- Airport
- S16 · Copalis State, runway 15, 5,000 × 150 ft
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total · 125 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 230 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HQM, 14 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.