- Date
- June 1, 1990, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palouse, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5895DPiper PA18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900601018029A
- Case key
- 41202
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 pilots poorly planned approach for landing.
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
During a ferry flight for maintenance, the pilot circled the private airstrip for wind direction. The pilot began the descent for landing and noted a row of power lines. The airplane cleared that row of lines, however, there was a second row that the pilot had not observed. The airplane collided with the second row. The airplane touched down short of the runway and during the landing roll nosed over. The left wing ignited and burned the left side only.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5895D
- Reported as
- Piper PA18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5404
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mervyn, William J.
- Registered owner
- Mervyn, William J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PUW · Pullman, 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
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,000 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5895D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.