Amateur-built Prescott Pusher accident near Ashville, Ohio, June 24, 2009
On June 24, 2009 at about 2:20 pm local time, a amateur-built Prescott Pusher, registered N19PP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Ashville, Ohio. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to propeller damage from being struck by the cabin-entry door, which inadvertently opened and departed the airframe for undetermined reasons during flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2009 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Ashville, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Prescott Pusher
- Registration
- N19PP · registry record · serial 009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane approached its destination, the cabin-entry door inadvertently opened, departed the airframe, and struck the pusher-type propeller. The airplane experienced a significant loss of engine power and the pilot performed a forced landing into a nearby wheat field. The left wing was substantially damaged when the left main landing gear collapsed during landing. The amateur-built airplane was equipped with a single, gull-wing type, cabin door. The door, located on the left side of the cabin, articulated around a hinge on the top of the fuselage. The door latch-pins were designed to engage the fuselage using three capturing latch assemblies installed in the fuselage sidewall. These capturing latches functioned collectively using a single door latch handle. A post-accident inspection and testing of the fuselage-mounted latch assemblies and their common latch handle failed to reveal any anomalies or damage. All three corresponding latch-pins remained attached to the recovered door frame and appeared undamaged.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during approach defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Unintentional use/operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › (general) › (general) › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 26, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 104 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 22, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airdat, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 2W6 Leonardtown MD at 11:55 am
- Destination: KLCK Columbus OH
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 2:17 pm from KLCK, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09CA386.