The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its findings after a 10-month investigation into a plane crash that seriously injured two people, a male and a female, in Ocean Shores last summer.
After first responders and several others extricated the two aboard from the wreckage, the female had to be flown via helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, while the male was taken to Harbor Regional Health in Aberdeen.
According to the NTSB Aviation Investigation Final Report issued yesterday, “The pilot’s hard, bounced landing, subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed, and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain,” were the “the probable cause(s)” of a small plane crash near the Ocean Shores Municipal Airport last June. The “defining event” was “loss of control in flight.”
The aircraft involved was a Murphy Moose, a single-engine plane that is built from a kit. Jason Warren of Silverdale is the registered owner of the aircraft. According to the company’s website, “Murphy Aircraft is an amateur-built experimental aircraft manufacturer located in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.“
The report’s analysis stated, “The pilot was attempting to land during gusty wind conditions when the accident occurred. A pilot-rated witness at the airport reported that he observed the accident airplane’s approach to the runway and thought it was too steep for the wind conditions. The airplane landed hard and bounced back into the air about four feet; a gust of wind caught the left wing, pushing the airplane downwind to the right toward marshland. The witness stated that the engine powered up, but the airplane stalled and was in a nose-low attitude when it impacted the ground. Witnesses located around the airport stated that the airplane touched down on the runway and bounced back into the air; the left wing was caught by a gust of wind and the airplane rotated to the right.”
Last December, Ocean Shores Fire Chief Brian Ritter presented awards to those who responded to the crash including Jeff Rowling, Jaimison Berney, Andrew Mills, Kaleb Towery, Lt. Jeremy Towery, Matt Rightmeier, Randy Sackmann, George Foster, Lt. Cody Sage, Logan Seguin, Tommy Wallace, Matt Rowling, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Mandella, Volunteer Chief Jim Davis, Fire Inspector Curt Begley, Mayor Frank Elduen and City Administrator Scott Andersen.
