Amateur-built AIRCAMPER accident near Shelton, Washington, August 7, 1983
On August 7, 1983, a amateur-built AIRCAMPER, registered CFACV, was destroyed in an accident near Shelton, Washington (Sanderson Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1983
- Place
- Shelton, Washington · Sanderson Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIRCAMPER
- Registration
- CFACV · no longer on the register · serial AFD-6870
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOME BUILT ACFT WAS MANUFACTURED IN 1975 & WAS BUILT IN CANADA FROM THE 1930 PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER DESIGN. THE PLT HAD FLOWN THE CANADIAN REGISTERED ACFT TO AN ANTIQUE FLY-IN. TRAFFIC AT THE ARPT REQUIRED THAT ONLY RWY 35 COULD BE USED. THE PLT WAITED FROM 1400 TO 1700 PDT, FOR THE WIND TO DECREASE, BEFORE TAKING OFF. REPORTEDLY, HE FOLLOWED THE POSTED LEFT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN WHICH TOOK HIM OVER HILLS WHERE HE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE & A DOWN DRAFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT STALLED & CRASHED IN A STEEP DESCENT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE SPARK PLUGS WERE CARBON FOULED WITH BLACK, SOOTY DEPOSITS.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,272 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 1,272 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1983; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,293 ft by 28 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
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.