Piper PA-18-135 accident near Lewiston, Idaho, May 27, 2002
On May 27, 2002 at about 6:14 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-135, registered N9845Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho (Lewiston-Nez Perce County airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing resulting in the aircraft departing the runway environment and the wing impacting the ground. Contributing factors were the dustdevil/whirlwind which the aircraft encountered and the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2002 · about 6:14 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · Lewiston-Nez Perce County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-135 · all PA-18-135s on the register
- Registration
- N9845Q · registry record · serial 18-3550
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing a stop-and-go landing on runway 08 in the Piper PA-18-135 when he encountered a whirlwind. The aircraft veered off the runway during which the left wingtip impacted the ground. The aircraft continued away from the runway coming to rest nose down in a ditch. Winds recorded at the accident airport before and after the accident ranged from zero to seven knots speed, and from the northeast quadrant. No gusts were reported during the morning/afternoon hours.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 295 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 295 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 12, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,118 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2001; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LWS Lewiston ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 6,512 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from LWS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.