| Crash location | 47.316667°N, 119.133334°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Othello, WA
46.825974°N, 119.175291°W 34.0 miles away |
| Tail number | N7981Y |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 17 Jul 2014 |
| Aircraft type | Piper Pa 30 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 17, 2014, about 1515 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-30 twin-engine airplane, N7981Y, was substantially damaged following a partial loss of power on the left engine, and a collision with terrain during takeoff/initial climb at the Othello Municipal Airport, Othello, Washington. The airplane was owned by Warden Air, LLC, Warden, Washington, and operated by the pilot as an instrument flight rules (IFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane departed in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions, and the pilot had not received the IFR clearance. The private pilot and the three passengers were not injured. The airplane was bound for Klamath Falls, Oregon.
The pilot reported that during the power up for takeoff, the left engine revolutions per minute (RPM) was 2,200 while the right engine was 2,600 RPM. He leaned the mixture on the left engine to bring the RPM up to 2,600 and proceeded with the takeoff. After the takeoff roll he initiated a climb and noted that the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) on the left engine was much higher than the EGT of the right engine. The left engine RPM dropped suddenly to 2,000 RPM and the airplane yawed to the left and started to descend. He was unable to overcome the yaw and descent, and the airplane impacted the ground.
The investigation into the loss of engine power is pending an examination of the left engine.