Amateur-built Sherpa accident near Scappoose, Oregon, September 18, 2007
On September 18, 2007, a amateur-built Sherpa, registered N1415B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Scappoose, Oregon (Scappoose Industrial Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of aircraft pitch control due to the fatigue failure of the fuselage tube structure at the flight control stick gimbal mechanism due to an incomplete weld penetration at the root of the weld.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2007
- Place
- Scappoose, Oregon · Scappoose Industrial Airpark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sherpa
- Registration
- N1415B · registry record · serial 0012
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was a potential buyer of the airplane and was flying it on short final approach. He said that he attempted to correct for a sink rate, which included pulling back full aft on the control stick to arrest the descent. The airplane's nose then abruptly pitched down about 45 degrees and the airplane struck the runway. A visual examination of the airplane's flight control system by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors revealed that the flight control stick gimbal mechanism had fractured and the control stick was separated from the mechanism. The flight control stick gimbal mechanism and a portion of the fuselage structure were shipped to the Safety Board's Materials Laboratory for a metallurgical examination. According to the metallurgical examination, the fatigue cracking of the fuselage tube structure in the area of the control stick gimbal mechanism emanated from the root of a weld in an area between tube joints. The Safety Board's senior metallurgist reported that the fatigue had propagated through approximately 30 percent of the wall thickness. The fatigue crack was located near an area of the fuselage tube that contained a 0.7-inch-long region of incomplete weld penetration at the root of the weld.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,247 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,158 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPB Scappoose OR
- Destination: SPB Scappoose OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1415B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.