ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 40113
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| Date: | Wednesday 14 July 1999 |
| Time: | 11:00 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-18-150 |
| Owner/operator: | Wallie Lee Mcphearson |
| Registration: | N4385Z |
| MSN: | 18-7409044 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3357 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-A2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Opheim, MT -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Opheim, MT (S00) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the 150 horsepower PA-18 had just returned to an aerial application site after refueling and taking on another load of chemicals. During his refueling/reloading stop he expressed concern about the limited performance of the aircraft at the current temperature (75-80 degrees Fahrenheit) and at the altitude he was flying (about 3,000 feet MSL). He therefore took on a reduced fuel load and mentioned that he was planning on finishing the field by taking on two half-loads of chemical instead of one full one. Although witnesses saw him only partially fill his fuel tanks, no one saw whether he filled his chemical hopper to the top or only took on a partial load. Upon returning to the field, he was seen to make a pass in one direction, but no one saw him return in the other direction. Soon thereafter a column of black smoke was seen rising from the field. When witnesses arrived at the application site, they found the aircraft where it had stall/mushed into rapidly rising terrain at a location where the pilot would be making a course reversal just off the end of the field.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain an airspeed above stall speed (Vs), resulting in a stall/mush into the terrain during a course reversal at the end of an aerial application run. Factors include hilly terrain and high density altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB SEA99LA118
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 14-Dec-2017 08:41 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Apr-2024 19:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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