Piper PA-18-150 accident near Okanogan, Washington, March 17, 2010
On March 17, 2010 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4425Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Okanogan, Washington (Private airport). 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 clearance from a fence at the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2010 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Okanogan, Washington · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4425Z · registry record · serial 18-8762
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was practicing touch-and-go landings. After one of the takeoffs, he pulled the throttle back to practice an aborted takeoff from an altitude of 50 feet above ground level (agl). He lowered the flaps and performed a three-point landing. He added power for takeoff again, but had only climbed 3 feet agl before impacting a 4-foot fence at the end of the 3,675-foot-long gravel runway. The airplane came to rest upright with its left main landing gear bent back under the fuselage. The left wing sustained structural damage.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,400 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 23, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,591 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 17, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lockwood Aviation L P
The flight
- Departed from: None Okanogan WA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: None Okanogan WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,675 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from OMK, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.