- Date
- February 19, 1991, 20:56 local (Feb 20, 1991, 04:56 UTC)
- Place
- Cottage Grove, OR
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4518HPiper PA-15
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910219002899A
- Case key
- 41303
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 did not maintain an adequate airspeed. Factors to the accident were: a dark night condition and an uncontrolled stall/spin.
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
Shortly after take off from an uncontrolled strip during dark night conditions, the pilot lost control of the airplane. The airplane collided with the terrain in a vertical, nose down position. During the post crash inspection, there were no noted mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4518H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-15
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15-292
- Airframe hours
- 1,506
- Engine
- Lycoming O-145-B2, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Leslie W. Beaver
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 23, 1990 · 47 hours before
- Destination
- 77S · Creswell, OR
- Airport
- 61S · Cottage Grove State, runway 33, 3,200 × 60 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 645 total · 467 in this make and model · 599 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EUG, 21 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.