Amateur-built SMITH M/P DSA-1 accident near Bend, Oregon, June 20, 1997
On June 20, 1997 at about 10:19 pm local time, a amateur-built SMITH M/P DSA-1, registered N168RW, was destroyed in an accident near Bend, Oregon (Bend Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inflight propeller blade separation, and a subsequent evasive turn to avoid traffic by the pilot at an inadequate airspeed resulting in an accelerated stall. Factors were excessive power output of the installed engine, an aircraft taking off in the opposite direction of the landing runway, and the aircraft's low altitude at the time of the stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 1997 · about 10:19 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SMITH M/P DSA-1 SMITH M/P
- Registration
- N168RW · no longer on the register · serial R.W.1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off and circled the airport for several minutes, then entered a traffic pattern opposite the normal pattern direction for the runway. A witness in the runup area stated that while the accident aircraft was on final, he saw its propeller stopped. This witness stated that at that time, another aircraft was taking off in the opposite direction of the runway. The witness reported that he then observed the accident aircraft make a sharp turn away from the runway (at 50 to 100 feet above the ground), then abruptly enter a steep descent to ground impact 1/4 mile northeast of the runway. Only one of the aircraft's two wood/composite propeller blades was located; this blade had chordwise yellow scratches across its back surface. A yellow piece of the accident aircraft, with the appearance of an air scoop, was found 3/4 mile north-northwest the airport. The lip of this scoop was abraded 3/4 of the way around its circumference. No discrepancies indicative of engine malfunction were found in a post-accident engine teardown. The engine was rated for 200 horsepower, although the airframe was designed for 65- to 125-horsepower engines.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,005 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:33 pm from RDM, 10 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.