- Date
- May 16, 1993, 18:15 local (May 17, 1993, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Mead, WA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N54BRRainey Aero Phaeton
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930516018779A
- Case key
- 43023
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 inadvertently entering a stall condition. A factor contributing to the accident was gusts.
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 the initial climb the pilot encountered a gust which rolled the aircraft left. During his recovery he was 'caught immediately by a second wind gust causing of course the port wing to stall, sending the plane into a half spin.' The pilot was unable to recover prior to the aircraft's impacting trees/terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54BR
- Reported as
- Rainey Aero Phaeton (AERO PHAET)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 884-3080
- Airframe hours
- 423
- Engine
- Continental A-80-8F, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ross, John A.
- Registered owner
- Ross, John A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 25, 1992 · 10 hours before
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 346 total · 9 in this make and model · 287 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SFF, 6 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.