SEA82DYE06

NTSB accident investigation · Beech 23 · Greenwater, WA · April 25, 1982

Accident · FatalFinal report

Date: April 24, 1982, 20:45 local (Apr 25, 1982, 03:45 UTC)
Place: Greenwater, WA
Injuries: 1 fatal
Damage: Destroyed
Phase of flight: Enroute
Aircraft: N6079NBeech 23
Weather: Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
Status: Completed · report April 24, 1983
Report: Approved by Office Director
Case key: 70914

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

In flight encounter with weatherDescent

Light condition - dark nightFactor

Weather condition - cloudsFactor

Flight into known adverse weather - continuedPilot in commandFactor

Lack of total instrument timePilot in commandFactor

In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent

Terrain condition - mountainous/hillyFactor

Terrain condition - high terrainFactor

Proper altitude - not maintainedPilot in commandCause

Analysis

At about 1620 local time on 4/24/82, the aircraft departed burley, id and proceeded on a VFR flight plan to tacoma, WA. The mountains east of seattle were obscured by an overcast ceiling beginning at 3500 ft. during a descent from 10,500 ft into the seattle terminal area, the aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain at 3500 ft MSL. The seattle weather was 3500 brkn, vis 15, temp 47, dew pt 32, wind 020 at 5 KTS. The top of the ceiling was estimated at 7200 ft. an American airlines captain reported seeing the aircraft in a controlled descent into a cloud layer.

Aircraft

Registration: N6079N
Reported as: Beech 23
Category: Airplane
Serial number: 1203
Airframe hours: 3,400
Engine: Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage: Destroyed
Flight: Personal · Part 91
Operator: T.G. Eckler
Registered owner: T.G. Eckler
Departed: Burley, ID
Destination: Tacoma, WA
Flight plan: VFR

N6079NRegistration cancelled Oct 28, 2013 · Beech B23S/N M-1203 · Built 1969 Airframe modelBeech B23 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role: Pilot
Age: 67
Certificate: Private
Airplane ratings: Single-engine land
Medical: Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Flight hours: 262 total

Weather

Conditions: Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
Wind: 20° at 5 knots
Visibility: 15 statute miles
Lowest ceiling: 3,500 ft overcast
Temperature: 117 °F