Amateur-built N-3 Pup accident near Mead, Washington, August 20, 2005
On August 20, 2005 at about 5:10 pm local time, a amateur-built N-3 Pup, registered N7702X, was destroyed in an accident near Mead, Washington (Mead Flying Service Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2005 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mead, Washington · Mead Flying Service Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built N-3 Pup
- Registration
- N7702X · no longer on the register · serial N85621-11
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he had flown this airplane before, but this was the first flight with this engine. He said that immediately after takeoff the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot told the Federal Aviation Administration Inspector that he did not want to land in a housing area at the end of the runway; therefore, he reversed his flight path by applying full left rudder. The first responders found that the airplane had impacted a shed approximately 150 yards past the departure end of runway 34; the pilot said the airplane came to rest on airport property. The airplane's left wing was broken and nearly separated from the fuselage.
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
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 535 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1835 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 70S Mead WA at 5:10 pm
- Destination: 70S
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,480 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SFF, 14 miles away
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.