Piper PA-36 accident near Mattawa, Washington, October 1, 1982
On October 1, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-36, registered N57608, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mattawa, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 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
- October 1, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mattawa, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36 · all PA-36s on the register
- Registration
- N57608 · no longer on the register · serial 36-760008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LANDING ON A FARM ROAD TO PICK UP SEED, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR ENCOUNTERED A SOFT AREA ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROADWAY. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE LEFT AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE USE OF RIGHT RUDDER AND BRAKE. IT TRAVERSED A RECENTLY-FILLED DITCH. AS THE RIGHT GEAR ENCOUNTERED THE SOFT SURFACE, IT COLLAPSED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,465 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 255 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 7,173 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,760 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 195 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sun Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Royal City WA at 1:20 pm
- Destination: Royal City WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N57608 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.