- Date
- July 14, 1990, 18:25 local (Jul 15, 1990, 01:25 UTC)
- Place
- Darrington, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- CGIEKTaylorcraft F-19
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 41242
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 inflight encounter with turbulent downdraft winds that resulted in a vertical descent from which the pilot could not recover with full power applied.
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.
In flight collision with object
Weather condition - downdraftCause
Weather condition - turbulenceCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
The flight encountered downdraft winds on final approach at a low altitude above the ground. The pilot applied full power, but the acft continued descent and impacted a tree and the ground short of the landing rwy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CGIEK
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft F-19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F-056
- Airframe hours
- 1,497
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David A Wheelwright
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 14, 1990 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- S55 · Arlington, WA
- Airport
- 1S2 · Darrington, runway 28, 2,350 × 40 ft, dirt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,736 total · 1,615 in this make and model · 1,625 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAE, 34 nm away