Globe GC-1B accident near Spokane, Washington, July 24, 1999
On July 24, 1999 at about 1:57 pm local time, a Globe GC-1B, registered N80622, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spokane, Washington (Felts Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A related factor was the pilot's lack of experience in tailwheel aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1999 · about 1:57 pm local time
- Place
- Spokane, Washington · Felts Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N80622 · registry record · serial 1027
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a 4,500-foot by 100-foot concrete runway. The pilot reported that 'On landing...a gust of wind [picked up] the left wing and skidded the plane sideways....' The airplane departed the right side of the runway about 900 feet down the runway, and its gear collapsed. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved. Winds during the time frame of the accident were reported as generally down the runway at 3 knots. The pilot had received a tailwheel endorsement two days before the accident, and the accident flight was the pilot's third flight in the accident aircraft without a flight instructor on board.
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: 145 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 71 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,568 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1999; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,710 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 63S Colville WA at 1:20 pm
- Destination: SFF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3L, 4,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from SFF
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.