| Crash location | 47.906389°N, 122.266667°W |
| Nearest city | Everett, WA
47.978985°N, 122.202079°W 5.8 miles away |
| Tail number | N202 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Aircraft type | Sessi Midget Mustang SK-1 |
| Additional details: | None |
On March 12, 2006, at 1500 Pacific standard time, an experimental Sessi Midget Mustang SK-1, N202, recently purchased and operated by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with the terrain during takeoff from Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field), Everett, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the intended cross country flight. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight's intended destination was to Caldwell, Idaho.
The pilot reported that he just purchased this aircraft and this was his first flight in the aircraft to fly it back home to Texas. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll from runway 34 left, the engine was running smooth. Full throttle was applied and at approximately 70 mph, lift off occurred and the aircraft entered a nose high attitude and began a continuous stall buffet. The pilot pitched the nose down to gain airspeed several times. Each time he pulled the stick back it would stall. The pilot stated that the aircraft attained about 30 to 35 feet above ground level, and while he was scanning the engine instruments, the aircraft drifted to the left of the runway. The pilot applied "hard right aileron to avoid hitting glide slope antenna..." The aircraft stalled and impacted the terrain next to the runway in an uncontrolled attitude with full throttle.
The pilot stated that this was also the first flight for this aircraft since a new wood propeller had been put on, after an earlier event prior to the purchase, in which the original propeller had been damaged. The pilot indicated that the wrong pitch and diameter propeller had been used and the aircraft was signed off as airworthy without having been test flown.
The propeller blades were destroyed during the crash sequence.
The pilot did not abort the takeoff and subsequently did not maintain aircraft control during the initial takeoff climb. The installation of the wrong propeller assembly and inadequate maintenance were factors.