- Date
- May 21, 1990, 16:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3229ZRobert Van Scoyoc Soneria IIL
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900521016889A
- Case key
- 41196
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 loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, caused by the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat. Factors in the accident were the carburetor icing weather conditions and the lack of suitable terrain for forced landing.
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 Ellensburg airport and was climbing on downwind when the engine quit. He was unable to return to the runway for the emergency forced landing. The aircraft impacted rough terrain off the airport, and was substantially damaged. Icing probability charts indicate moderate to severe carb icing conditions existed. The pilot had not applied carb heat.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3229Z
- Reported as
- Robert Van Scoyoc Soneria IIL (SONERIA II)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1023
- Airframe hours
- 123
- Engine
- Volkswagen UNKNOWN, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scott D. Anderson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 29, 1989 · 30 hours before
- Destination
- FHR · Friday Harbor, WA
- Airport
- ELN · Bowers
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 130 total · 26 in this make and model · 110 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SMP, 40 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.