- Date
- December 29, 1985, 18:13 local (Dec 30, 1985, 02:13 UTC)
- Place
- Des Moines, WA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1152TMooney M20K
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851229063799A
- Case key
- 40261
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The weather briefer informed the pilot that VFR was not recommended due to current/forecast condtions. The non instrument rated pilot then filed a VFR flight plan responding that he was IFR rated and would file inflight if necessary. Witnesses reported observing the aircraft cruising northbound over I-5 at a moderate speed and low altitude beneath the clouds. Weather conditions in the vicinity of the accident site were described as 300 foot ceiling and 1 mile visibility. Dark night conditions existed when the aircraft struck power line 75 feet above the I-5 median and 6 nautical miles south of the destination airport. In spite of deteriorating weather conditions the pilot made no attempt to divert along his route of flight to a more favorable destination. An entry referring to 'scud flying' was noted in the pilot's logbook.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1152T
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 250630
- Airframe hours
- 1,052
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-GB, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sunwest Aviation, Inc., doing business as Snohomish County Airport
- Registered owner
- Horst E. Lux
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 9, 1985 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- HIO · Hillsboro, OR
- Destination
- BFI · Seatle, WA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 341 total · 36 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SEA, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.