Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Dave Wall Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
Sunday, May 24, 1998 14:45 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The flight took off with approximately a 30-minute to 1-hour fuel supply. After takeoff, the pilot/flight instructor and dual student (on her first instructional flight) practiced airwork for approximately 15 minutes, then returned to the airport for touch-and-go landings. The flight instructor, who held an FAA medical certificate valid for third-class privileges at the time, reported that on the third touch-and-go pattern, while downwind, he lost consciousness. The dual student stated that while the instructor (her father) was piloting and speaking to her, the aircraft suddenly started heading for trees, and that she then shouted, 'What are you doing?!', but that the instructor did not respond. A witness reported that the airplane's engine sputtered and stalled as the airplane went into a steep left bank, and that it then crashed into the trees. FAA on-scene investigators found a very small quantity of fuel on board the aircraft, and the aircraft's propeller exhibited no evidence of significant engine power at impact. Records of the pilot's treatment at a local hospital following the accident contained discharge diagnoses of 'syncope prior to accident (probably related to atrial fibrillation)' and 'atrial fibrillation/junctional tachycardia.' The pilot/instructor reported that no mechanical failure or malfunction was involved in the accident.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Loss of consciousness by the pilot-in-command/flight instructor, resulting in loss of aircraft control and subsequent collision with terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/24/1998 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1445 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | SANDPOINT |
| Event State | IDAHO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 83864 |
| Event Date Year | 1998 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | DAVE WALL FIELD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SZT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 2127 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 90 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1488 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 24 1998 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1524 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 11:24AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1479Q |
| NTSB Number | SEA98LA082 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 150L |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 150L |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 15072779 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MERLE L. OLMSTEAD |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 34 SKY RANCH DR. |
| Aircraft Owner City | SANDPOINT |
| Aircraft Owner State | ID |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 83864 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | LOREN R. TOWNSEND |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 13144 N. BOYER RD. |
| Operator City | SANDPOINT |
| Operator State | ID |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 83864 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | SZT |
| Departure City | SANDPOINT |
| Departure State | ID |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 1 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |