Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Puyallup, Washington, November 10, 2001
On November 10, 2001 at about 4:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N9466K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Puyallup, Washington (Pierce Co-Thun Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots' failure to maintain aircraft control on short final, resulting in a touchdown off of the prepared landing surface. A factor was grassy terrain encountered on the landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 2001 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · Pierce Co-Thun Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9466K · registry record · serial 7635244
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots reported that while the accident aircraft was on downwind, a light helicopter (believed to be a Robinson R22) entered final approach. The flight instructor reported that the helicopter cleared the active runway "about one-half to one-quarter mile before our touchdown." The trainee stated that after clearing the runway, the helicopter moved right to the parallel taxiway, approximately 180 feet from the runway. The pilots reported that approximately 200 to 300 feet past the runway threshold, the aircraft suddenly rolled right, yawed right, and sank, and that despite control inputs to attempt to counter these motions, the aircraft touched down right-wing-low in the grass adjacent to the runway. The pilots elected to continue the landing rollout in the grass. During the landing rollout, the aircraft's nose gear failed. The instructor indicated that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident. An R22 on the parallel taxiway at the north end of the airport is approximately 7 main rotor diameters from the runway, well outside the three main rotor diameters specified by the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) for rotor wash avoidance from a helicopter in a slow hover taxi or stationary hover. The accident aircraft's maximum gross weight is also approximately twice that of the R22. Dark night visual meteorological conditions, with calm winds, were reported by the flight instructor.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 23,500 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 4,800 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 28, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 330 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 270 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 14, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,849 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 2001; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spanaflight, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 1S0 Puyallup WA at 1:50 am
- Destination: 1S0 Puyallup WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16, 3,650 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N9466K 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.