Amateur-built S-18T accident near Arlington, Washington, July 11, 2003
On July 11, 2003 at about 9:55 pm local time, a amateur-built S-18T, registered N102PM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arlington, Washington (Arlington Municipal airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an airspeed above Vs (stalling speed) while making a close-in base-to-final turn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2003 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Washington · Arlington Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S-18T
- Registration
- N102PM · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was arriving at Arlington less than ten minutes prior to the time the field was to be closed for an air show, was instructed by the tower to turn base early in order to sequence him in front of an aircraft he was in trail of. Although he was instructed to turn base early so that he could land adjacent to a set of cones set near mid-field, the pilot did not see the cones most of the time he was on base leg. He said that while on base he did not see the cones until the last minute, and when he did, he initiated his turn to final. At the point he started the turn, he was approximately 50 feet above the surface, and because he was so close to the runway, he steepened his turn to near 60 degrees. During the turn the airplane stalled and rolled to a position where the wings where 90 degrees to the ground. The pilot then released back pressure, applied corrective rudder and aileron, and was able to get the wings level, but almost immediately thereafter the aircraft impacted the surface of the runway with sufficient force to result in substantial damage.
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: 1,071 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 1,035 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 21, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2003; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPB Scappoose OR at 9:00 pm
- Destination: AWO Arlington WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,333 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N102PM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 SEA03LA134.