- Date
- June 30, 1989, 11:55 local (18:55 UTC)
- Place
- Snoqualmie Pass, WA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N56759Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890630019019A
- Case key
- 41043
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Improper in-flight planning/descision by the pilot, which resulted in the aircraft entering a box canyon with insufficient speed and altitude to maneuver out of the confined area. Factors related to the accident were: the pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather conditions and the terrain and weather conditions.
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 attempting to cross over the cascade mountains, the pilot encountered clouds, which the acft would not be able to outclimb. He elected to descend below the clouds & follow an interstate highway through a Pass. He inadvertently entered a box canyon. While maneuvering to reverse course, the aircraft mushed into trees. The pilot had received a preflight weather briefing, which indicated VFR flt conditions in the Pass. A weather observation station (that was previously in the Pass) had been closed by the national weather service.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56759
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7405030
- Airframe hours
- 3,743
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Airways Sheetmetal, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Airways Sheetmetal, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 10, 1989 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- GEG · Spokane, WA
- Destination
- YCD · Nanaimo
- 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 93 in this make and model · 56 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNT, 31 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.
Other investigations on N56759 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.