- Date
- June 26, 1994, 18:00 local (Jun 27, 1994, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Prineville, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3992PPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940626020189A
- Case key
- 41967
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor was gusty wind conditions.
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 takeoff from a private airstrip the pilot allowed the aircraft's left wing to drag on the ground. Gusty wind conditions existed at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On June 26, 1994, approximately 1800 hours Pacific daylight time (pdt), a Piper PA-18-150, N3992P, registered to and being flown by James L. Campbell, a certificated private pilot, was substantially damaged when the left wing drug during takeoff at a private dirt airstrip near Post, Oregon (refer to photograph 01). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The pilot was uninjured. The flight, which was personal in nature, was to have been operated in accordance with 14CFR91.
The pilot reported that he was attempting to take off from a private airstrip on a ridge in "windy conditions" when a gust of wind pushed the left wing down. The wing contacted the ground and the aircraft then crashed. He reported that a thunderstorm was approaching and that the winds were gusting 20-25 knots at the time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3992P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1504752
- Airframe hours
- 9,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Campbell, James L.
- Registered owner
- Campbell, James L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1994 · 20 hours before
- Destination
- Post, OR
- Airport
- runway 27, 1,000 × 45 ft, dirt
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 278 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °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 N3992P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.