ARFF Daily News

Thursday the 6th of March, 2025

Plane crash in central Washington kills pilot, crews working to recover remains

by KOMO News Staff

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — A small plane crash near Whiskey Dick Mountain in Kittitas County killed the aircraft's pilot, the sheriff's office confirmed Wednesday morning.

The plane, a Cessna 150 that went missing while en route from Yakima to Chelan, was located on Mar. 5 with the help of a Life Flight helicopter.

The plane was reported missing on Tuesday by the pilot's family member after she did not arrive.

The last radar signal placed the plane in the hills between Ellensburg and the Columbia River before contact was lost.

Kittitas County Deputies and Search & Rescue volunteers, along with the Grant County Sheriff's Office, conducted an extensive search based on the plane's last known location and planned route.

The crash site was discovered shortly after 9 a.m., with the pilot found dead at the site.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office is coordinating with the Kittitas County Coroner's Office to safely recover the pilot, and her family has been notified of her death.

https://katu.com/news/local/search-intensifies-for-missing-plane-in-washington-investigation-search-rescue-seattle-pnw-airplane-jet-aircraft

NTSB Final Report: Willman Loren Loren's AirCam

Local Airport Manager Received Complaints About The Pilot’S Low-Altitude Flying

Location: Grass Valley, California Accident Number: WPR23FA110
Date & Time: February 19, 2023, 13:35 Local Registration: N420PF
Aircraft: Willman Loren Loren's AirCam Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Aerodynamic stall/spin Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis: The pilot and passenger departed the airport to conduct a local flight. ADS-B data revealed that the flight was conducted at a low altitude that overflew areas of interest. The airplane was flying near the passenger’s property, at an altitude that witnesses estimated as about 100 ft or less above ground level (agl), and an airspeed estimated to be around 50 mph, but likely closer to the airplane’s published stall speed of 39 mph. The airplane exhibited a “wobble” and then entered an aerodynamic stall/spin and impacted open terrain in a nose-low attitude. 

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engines revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airframe damage, wreckage distribution and near-vertical impact were consistent with a stall/spin while still under engine power.

According to a witness, the pilot had a history of conducting low altitude flights in the accident airplane. Before the accident, the accident pilot told a fellow pilot that he did not fly above 500 ft agl. During the first months of ownership, the local airport manager received complaints about the pilot’s low-altitude flying.

The airplane’s Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) states that the airplane did not come equipped with a stall warning device and that stall indications were not easily recognizable. The POH also advised operators to not operate at low altitudes at airspeeds less than 50 knots and advised operators to stay at least 500 ft away from people and property.

Toxicology testing of the pilot indicated the presence of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active compound in marijuana. There is no known relationship between tissue levels and impairment; therefore, whether the pilot's use of a potentially impairing substance contributed to the accident could not be determined.

Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery. 

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

Today in History

22 Years ago today: On 6 March 2003 Air Algérie flight 6289, a Boeing 737-200, crashed shortly after takeoff from Tamanrasset-Aguemar Airport, Algeria, killing 102 occupants; 1 survived the accident.

Date: Thursday 6 March 2003

Time: 15:15

Type: Boeing 737-2T4

Owner/operator: Air Algérie

Registration: 7T-VEZ

MSN: 22700/885

Year of manufacture: 1982

Total airframe hrs: 41472 hours

Cycles: 27184 flights

Engine model: P&W JT8D-17A (HK3)

Fatalities: Fatalities: 102 / Occupants: 103

Other fatalities: 0

Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off

Category: Accident

Location: Tamanrasset Airport (TMR) -   Algeria

Phase: Initial climb

Nature: Passenger - Scheduled

Departure airport: Tamanrasset-Aguemar Airport (TMR/DAAT)

Destination airport: Ghardaïa-Noumérat Airport (GHA/DAUG)

Investigating agency: CNE

Confidence Rating:  Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:

Air Algérie flight 6289, a Boeing 737-200, crashed shortly after takeoff from Tamanrasset-Aguemar Airport, Algeria, killing 102 occupants; 1 survived the accident.

Air Algérie flight 6289 originated in Tamanrasset and was bound for Algiers, with an intermediate stop at Ghardaia. Takeoff was commenced from runway 02 with the co-pilot acting as pilot-in-command. The aircraft rotated and at 15:14:52 the co-pilot ordered the gear to be raised. At that moment, at a height of 78 feet and a speed of 158 kts, the no. 1 engine suffered a turbine failure. The captain took over control of the airplane. Three seconds later the co-pilot asked if she should raise the gear, but the captain did not respond. The 737 lost speed and at 15:15:06 the speed had dropped to 134 kts. Height at that moment was 398 ft. The aircraft, named "Monts du Daia", stalled and crashed and broke up on rocky terrain about 1645 metres past the runway.

PROBABLE CAUSES: The accident was caused by the loss of an engine during a critical phase of flight, the non-retraction of the landing gear after the engine failure, and the Captain, the PNF, taking over control of the airplane before having clearly identified the problem.

The following factors probably contributed to the accident:

- the perfunctory flight preparation, which meant that the crew were not equipped to face the situation that occurred at a critical moment of the flight;

- the coincidence between the moment the failure occurred and the request to retract the landing gear;

- the speed of the event that left the crew little time to recover the situation;

- maintaining an inappropriate rate of climb, taking into account the failure of one engine;

- the absence of any teamwork after the engine failure, which led to a failure to detect and correct parameters related to the conduct of the flight (speed, rate of climb, configuration, etc.);

- the takeoff weight being close to the maximum with a high aerodrome altitude and high temperature;

- the rocky environment around the aerodrome, unsuitable for an emergency landing.