- Date
- July 10, 1994, 20:25 local (Jul 11, 1994, 03:25 UTC)
- Place
- Colville, WA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N526ADDay Teeny II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940710017949A
- Case key
- 41973
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 failure to maintain altitude sufficient to clear terrain. The downdraft was a factor.
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
After making a low pass over the house of a friend, the pilot turned toward rising terrain. As he tried to outclimb the terrain, the aircraft encountered a downdraft and impacted the ground.
Factual narrative
On July 10, 1994, approximately 2025 Pacific daylight time (PDT), an experimental Day Teeny II, N526AD, collided with the terrain while maneuvering near Colville, Washington. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, received serious injuries, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Sand Canyon Airport, Chewelah, Washington, about 15 minutes prior to the accident, was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, he made a low pass over the home of a friend, and then turned toward rising terrain. As he tried to outclimb the terrain, the aircraft encountered a downdraft, lost altitude, and impacted the ground.
The pilot said that there was no problem with the engine, and that it ran fine until impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N526AD
- Reported as
- Day Teeny II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 15-1743
- Airframe hours
- 25
- Engine
- Volkswagen 1600-H0647117, 55 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Day, Alvin F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 8, 1994 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- 1S9 · Chewelah, WA
- Destination
- 1S9 · 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
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 25 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.