Accident Overview
On September 14, 2008, at about 1645 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, registration N9268D, impacted a hangar adjacent to a private airstrip approximately two miles northeast of Napavine, Washington. The airline transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries, and the airplane, owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The local flight, conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 for personal pleasure, had taken off less than 30 seconds prior to the accident. The takeoff was made in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was filed.
Incident Sequence
According to witnesses, soon after liftoff the pilot executed a steeply-banked right turn of more than 90 degrees to make a low pass by the house of a friend. While flying by the friend's house with the airplane still in a steep right bank, the airplane's right wing tip clipped a greenhouse/potting shed in the neighbor's yard. After contacting the shed, the airplane continued for about 150 feet before impacting the corner of a hangar owned by the pilot.
Witness Statements
A witness in the yard where the shed was located stated that the airplane's engine sounded smooth and strong, and that it appeared the pilot was in control up until the time the airplane clipped the shed. Other individuals living in the area reported that the pilot had made low-altitude passes near their home or hangar in the past.
Investigation Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Inspector who responded to the scene reported no evidence of any pre-impact malfunction of the airplane's engine, flight controls, or airframe. As of the date of the report, the pilot was still hospitalized and unable to submit an NTSB Form 6120.1. He reportedly did not have a clear recollection of the sequence of events that led to the accident.