Cessna 152 N49231
30 August 1989 · Snohomish, Washington, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 30 August 1989 at about 02:55 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N49231, operated by Snohomish Flying Service, was involved in an accident near Snohomish, Washington, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Snohomish, Washington, United States
- Nearest airport
- Harvey Field (S43)
- Coordinates
- 47.9406, -121.9990
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152
- Registration
- N49231
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Snohomish Flying Service
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Snohomish → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- SEA89FA160
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT OF N66QB, A BEECH J35, TO SEE AND AVOID THIS AIRCRAFT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE OTHER AIRCRAFT DIRECTLY INTO THE SETTING SUN, AND THE LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS OF DUSK ON THE GROUND BELOW.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE C-172, N49231, HAD JUST DEPARTED RWY 32 AT HARVEY FIELD, AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT, ON AN INSTRUMENT TRAINING FLIGHT. RADAR DATA SHOWS THAT THE C-172 WAS CLIMBING OUT AT 700-800 FPM AT 65 KTS AND ON A TRUE HEADING OF 310 DEG. THE BE-J35, N66QB, HAD DEPARTED EARLIER FROM PAYNE FIELD AT EVERETT. RADAR DATA SHOWS THAT THE BE-J35 WAS IN LEVEL FLIGHT AT 130 KTS AND ON A TRUE TRACK OF 280 DEG. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AT 1,600 FT MSL IN UNCONTROLLED AIRSPACE. THE CABIN TOP AND LEFT WING OF THE HIGH-WING C-172 DISPLAYED LINEAR SCRATCHES, GOUGES AND PAINT SMEARS WHICH MATCHED THE IMPACT DAMAGE, SCRATCHES AND GOUGES FOUND ON THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE LEFT WING OF THE LOW-WING BE-J35. OFFICIAL SUNSET WAS 1 MINUTE AFTER THE ACCIDENT; THE SUN WOULD HAVE BEEN 0.01 DEG ABOVE THE HORIZON AT THE COLLISION ALTITUDE, AND AT A TRUE BEARING OF 284.6 DEG FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE. WITNESSES REPORTED DUSK DARK LIGHT CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 152 152 | N49231 | Snohomish Flying Service | Destroyed |
| Beechcraft J35 J35 | N66QB | Richard E. Kehew | Destroyed |
Other Cessna 152 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Aug 1989 | Cessna 152 | York, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 1989 | Cessna 152 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Button Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1989 | Cessna 152 | Plattsburgh, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1989 | Cessna 152 | Ravenna, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1989 | Cessna 152 | Lancaster, California, United States | West Coast Air Center | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Jul 1989 | Cessna 152 | Oneida, New York, United States | BFB Associates | No injuries | - |
All 3,030 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1989 | Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415D | Vancouver, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1989 | Cessna 140 | Amboy, Washington, United States | Larry Cahoon | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 1989 | Cessna 172 | Bremerton, Washington, United States | Flight Tech, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 1989 | Cessna A-185-F | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 1989 | Hiller UH-12E | Raymond, Washington, United States | Glacier Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 1989 | Aero Commander 600 S-2D | Walla Walla, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |