- Date
- April 24, 1993, 16:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Forest Grove, OR
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9637PPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930424010569A
- Case key
- 43016
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 in command's inadequate preflight planning. Factors contributing to the accident were the wet terrain, tailwind, trees, and wires.
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 in command attempted a northerly takeoff on a grass strip that was muddy and wet. Winds during the afternoon were southwesterly with speeds in the teens. The pilot reported that it took longer than usual to become airborne and that the aircraft would not fly out of ground effect. Shortly thereafter the aircraft collided with trees and a telephone line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9637P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-7405806
- Airframe hours
- 4,454
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Stevens, Donald L., doing business as Stevens Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Stevens, Gerald Sr. & Fern
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 1993 · 29 hours before
- Airport
- runway 36, 1,300 × 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 9,999 total · 8,000 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HIO, 9 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.