- Date
- July 29, 1990, 20:30 local (Jul 30, 1990, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Leavenworth, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9978DPiper PA-22-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900729029139A
- Case key
- 41120
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 misjudgement in preflight planning when departing toward rising terrain. Contributing factors in this accident were his decision to attempt a climb-out with full flaps extended, and the minimal performance data available to him upon which he could base his decision.
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 of the modified Piper PA-22 waited at the airstrip until the temperature cooled as much as possible before dusk. He stated that he used full flaps for climbout, a technique which he believed to be recommended by the owner's handbook. The aircraft crashed approximately 1/2 mile from the departure end of the airstrip.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9978D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-6769
- Airframe hours
- 3,176
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-C1, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David E. Demaray
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 22, 1989 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- WA32
- Destination
- S13 · Martha'S Lake, WA
- Airport
- WA32 · Leavenworth, runway 27, 2,400 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 543 total · 148 in this make and model · 543 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.