- Date
- November 19, 1989, 07:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Vancouver, WA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8289PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891119045909A
- Case key
- 41092
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 in command's inadequate preflight planning, pilot's attempted VFR flight into IMC conditions and the pilot's lack of instrument qualifications. Contributing to the accident was the low ceiling, fog and the pilot's lack of recent experience.
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 pilot took off from an uncontrolled arpt and the acft crashed one mile off the departure runway. Witnesses reported dense fog and visibility of 1/2 mile or less. The non-instrument rated private pilot did not file a flt plan or obtain a wx briefing for the flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8289P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3542
- Airframe hours
- 2,966
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kermit D. Buell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 1989 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- S59 · Vancouver, WA
- Destination
- 62S · Chr'Mas Valley, OR
- Airport
- 59S · Evergreen
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 360 total · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX, 4 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 N8289P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.