Piper PA-22-150 accident near Rice, Washington, April 29, 1995
On April 29, 1995 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N2520P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rice, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER CLIMB RATE. A FACTOR WAS TREES IN THE FLIGHT PATH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1995 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rice, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N2520P · no longer on the register · serial 22-2882
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE PERFORMED A SHORT FIELD MANEUVER FROM HIS PRIVATE AIRSTRIP, WITH A NORMAL TAKEOFF ROLL AND WITH THE APPLICATION OF FULL FLAPS AT ROTATION, WHICH HE STATED WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AIRCRAFT MANUAL. HE WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB, AND MANEUVERED TO AVOID TREES AHEAD, AT OR NEAR STALL SPEED, AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN STALLING SO HE AIMED THE AIRPLANE AT THE TERRAIN, WHERE IT FLIPPED OVER AFTER IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED WITH THREE PERSONS AND OVER 40 GALLONS OF FUEL.
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: 257 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 257 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N2520P 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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 SEA95LA090.