- Date
- September 10, 1989, 17:30 local (Sep 11, 1989, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N25228Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890910034119A
- Case key
- 41077
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
The pilot's failure to obtain current in-flight wind information in order to calculate that his remaining fuel supply was adequate to reach his final destination. Contributing was his inadequate preflight planning.
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
The flight originated at Ellensburg at 1230, with stops at pullman, walla walla, and a return to Ellensburg. Seven miles from the final destination the engine lost power. A forced landing was made in a field and the airplane collided with a fence. Less than two gallons of fuel were drained from the tanks. No fuel was present in the lines, and only a trace was found in the carburetor. The pilot had obtained surface, terminal, and winds aloft wx info via a home computer. The same wind direction and speed was used throughout the entire flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25228
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280543
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-N2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mid-State Aivation
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- ALW · Walla Walla, WA
- Destination
- ELN · Ellensburg, 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
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 132 total · 80 in this make and model · 89 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.