Fatal PA-22 in Oregom

[Jim]

https://spotthelesson.com/2021/06/21...unday-june-20/

[Stephen]

This is Brian and Steve's airstrip. It may be challenging to some but, I think it is a fine runway. This is a shame. The article did point out that the pilot was 80. Sorry this happened.

A hot afternoon could have been a factor.

[stevesaircraft(Bri)]

Unfortunately, this did happen at my home field. Hank was flying in on Sunday the 20th for a scheduled annual inspection to be done on Monday the 21st. The airplane was a PA-22-135.

Beagle is 3200 feet at 1430 field elevation. There is a 750 foot overrun that goes uphill about 100 feet on the north end. The field is co-owned by 9 individual properties. We have a 4.8 acre parcel located just north of mid field with about 250 feet of runway access running through the Western end of the property. (long and narrow property). The accident site was on the South end about 400 to 500 feet East of the airfield. At 3 PM here it was between 95 to 100 degrees of dry heat. The official high was 100 degrees but that is taken about 13 miles into the main town and it is always a few degrees hotter out here. I calculated the density altitude to be about 4000 feet.

This accident was completely avoidable. But, from what I hear, Hank was bound and determined to fly that airplane here as he had already re-scheduled with me 3 times. The aircraft was out of annual. Here is the event as described to me by several people.

Hank left Grants Pass airport about 1:00 PM or so. Grants Pass is 25 miles directly west of Beagle. He flew past Beagle and landed at Shady Cove airport about 6 miles North East of Beagle. There were several people there that approached him and described Hank as being agitated and acting dehydrated and sweating due to the heat. All of them tried to get him to stay at the airport and get someone else to fly the airplane the rest of the way to my field. But he insisted that he had to fly and left. They were worried enough about him that they drove here to check on him. Witnesses on my field say he flew over East to West at about 400 feet AGL flying very slow. He turned South for downwind approach over the hanger row just to the West of the field, probably 100 foot from center line of runway or closer. He turned his base leg and final to the North but was way to the East for the approach end still low and slow. It was described that he did a sharp left turn to try and get the aircraft back to center of the runway and the airplane stalled spun low level to impact.

Hanks heath the last couple of years has been very poor.. He could barely walk and I found out earlier this week that he had a heart attack the previous week. There is no reason he should have been flying that airplane at that time of day in the condition he was in.

Its a tragic series of events and I hope my write up here will be seen as a lesson to all that there is absolutely NO reason to fly an airplane in high heat with bad health conditions..

Brian.

[Stephen]

Thanks for sharing this Brian. An avoidable accident is sad and not good for GA or Hank.

[Pacerfgoe]

Yes, that's a very sad story you described for us Brian....Thoughts and prayers to his family.

I'm sure we've all been in a situation that needed to get done, and we become pigheaded about getting it done......very sad story here.