- Date
- August 16, 1988, 12:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- N Bonneville, WA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3MECessna 210E
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880816033869A
- Case key
- 40730
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.
Analysis
While on a flt from oroville to orchards, WA, the acft was about 25 to 30 mi east of the destn when it collided with trees & crashed. Impact occurred aprx 100 ft below the top of a ridgeline at an elev of about 1755 ft. a witness, who heard the crash, rprtd the area was covered with heavy fog. He heard the acft coming from the east, then saw it flying just above the trees at an alt of aprx 60 ft AGL. It disappeared in fog to the west & crashed about 15 seconds later while on a southerly hdg. No preimpact mechanical problems of the acft were evident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3ME
- Reported as
- Cessna 210E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21058672
- Airframe hours
- 2,035
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Everett L. Merritt
- Registered owner
- Everett L. Merritt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 18, 1988 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- 0S7 · Oroville, WA
- Destination
- OS6 · Orchards, WA
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
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 9,116 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX, 28 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.