LAKE STEVENS — A single-engine biplane crashed Sunday evening into a residential yard near a private fly-in community north of Lake Stevens, trapping the pilot and leaving him with serious injuries.
Snohomish County Fire District 22 crews were dispatched about 6:05 p.m., September 6, to the 11000 block of 127th Avenue Northeast after reports of an aircraft down. Getchell firefighters already were nearby on an unrelated medical call. A chief officer diverted to the scene and found the airplane in a yard adjacent to Frontier Airpark, fire officials said.
Neighbors began first aid before firefighters arrived, assistance officials later credited with helping produce the best possible outcome. Additional units helped extricate the pilot, who was taken to an area trauma center. Fire officials said there was no ongoing risk to the community.
The National Transportation Safety Board identified the airplane as a Pitts Model 12, a high-performance, single-engine biplane designed in the 1990s by aerobatic aircraft designer Curtis Pitts. The two-seat aircraft is known for its stacked wings, fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage and powerful radial engine, most often a Russian-designed Vedeneyev M-14 series powerplant of about 360 to 400 horsepower. Many examples are built by owners from kits or plans rather than assembled on a production line. The model is used for aerobatics and personal flying and is sometimes nicknamed the “Macho Stinker” or “Pitts Monster.”
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the NTSB are investigating. Officials have not released the pilot’s name, the flight’s origin or destination, nor a cause of in the incident.
Frontier Airpark, also known as WN53, sits just north of Lake Stevens. Established in 1985, it is a private residential airpark with a paved runway of about 3,800 feet and homes connected by taxiways so owners can fly from their properties.
Agencies that assisted Snohomish County Fire District 22 crews included Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue, Granite Falls Fire, the Marysville Fire District and Snohomish County Fire District 19.
Author: Mario Lotmore
