Piper PA-18-150 accident near Ephrata, Washington, June 3, 1999
On June 3, 1999 at about 9:41 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N3189Z, was destroyed in an accident near Ephrata, Washington (Ephrata Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
The glider pilot's failure to maintain control of his aircraft during spoiler retraction, which led to the Piper pilot's inability to recover safe flying airspeed within the altitude constraints at the time of the event. Contributing factors were the failure of the glider pilot to ensure that the spoilers were locked prior to takeoff, and the binding of the tow aircraft's tow hook release latch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1999 · about 9:41 pm local time
- Place
- Ephrata, Washington · Ephrata Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3189Z · registry record · serial 18-7182
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a glider tow, the glider pilot failed to ensure that his aircraft's spoilers were retracted in the locked position during takeoff. During the initial climb, the towplane pilot radioed 'SPOILERS, BOB, SPOILERS' and a witness observed seeing the spoilers extended. The glider pilot retracted the spoilers during which the glider entered a nose-high, pitch up attitude. Realizing he was in a high tow position, and before he was able to manually release the tow line from the glider, the tow rope broke in overload and within the specified tensile limits per regulatory requirements. A witness observed seeing the towplane climb to approximately 150 feet AGL and then pitch nose down, descending in an approximate 45 degree flight path to a wings level ground impact. The aircraft impacted the terrain 40-50 degrees nose low, wings-level with the engine developing power. Examination of the aircraft's tow hook release latch mechanism revealed the potential for binding of the release latch when the towed aircraft moved significantly above the horizontal (trail) position.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,316 hours in all; 349 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,887 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1998; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EPH at 9:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from EPH
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 N3189Z 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.