SEA94LA031

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150G · Kirkland, WA · November 13, 1993

Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
November 13, 1993, 15:10 local (23:10 UTC)
Place
Kirkland, WA
Injuries
1 serious
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N2446JCessna 150G
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 20, 1994
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19931113042639A
Case key
41854

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot in command's failure to maintain clearance with the tree. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot in command's ostentatious display.

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 objectManeuvering
Clearance - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Ostentatious displayPilot in commandFactor

Analysis

After departing one airport and landing/taking off from a second without a clearance the pilot was observed to fly beneath the I-90 causeway bridging mercer island to bellevue. Additionally, he was observed flying 10 feet above the water in the vicinity of his residential apartment. Shortly thereafter the aircraft collided with a tree while flying approximately 20 feet above ground. The pilot's roommate reported to local law enforcement personnel that he had told her that 'he was going to fly to paine field' and that 'I might even come by and buzz you.'

Factual narrative

On November 13, 1993, approximately 1510 hours Pacific standard time (PST), a tailwheel equipped Cessna 150G, N2446J, recently purchased/being flown by Kelly C. Bolles, a certificated private pilot, was destroyed when the aircraft collided with a tree and terrain, while maneuvering at low altitude in the vicinity of the pilot's residential apartment complex in Kirkland, Washington. The pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal in nature, was to have been operated in accordance with the requirements set forth in 14CFR91 and originated at Everett, Washington.

According to air traffic control tower personnel working at the Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) tower at Everett, the pilot acknowledged his taxi instructions and was told to hold short of runway 34R. The aircraft subsequently departed without a clearance at approximately 1435 hours.

Shortly thereafter, air traffic control tower personnel working at Boeing Field at Seattle reported observing N2446J landing on runway 13L without a clearance and against the established traffic pattern direction. The aircraft then ground looped during the rollout. The aircraft was observed to come to rest partially on the runway and an adjacent taxiway where it remained for several minutes. It then took off on runway 31R, again without a clearance, and departed to the east. Additionally, witnesses reported observing the aircraft fly beneath the I-90 causeway linking Mercer Island to Bellevue.

According to the Kirkland Police Department, Case Report 93K7067, witnesses reported an aircraft flying at an altitude of 10 feet above the surface of Lake Washington in close proximity to an apartment building at 515 Lake Street South. One of the witnesses interviewed by the Kirkland Police Department, Laura L. Boone, who was reported to be the pilot's roommate, stated that "Bolles left his apartment this morning to go to the airport" and that he was "going to fly to Paine Field and have lunch with his brother." Additionally, she stated that "as Bolles was leaving he told her 'I might even come by and buzz you and Charlie (her son).'"

A drug screen was conducted by the University of Washington (Harborview Hospital) on blood/urine samples released by pilot Bolles subsequent to the accident. The only positive determination was for "Benzodiazepines" and the report stated that the results were "presumed positive by immunochemical method. GC mass spec. confirmation not performed." It was unknown whether the positive for Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) was due to a condition pre existing the accident or were a result of post crash medication at the accident site.

Aircraft

Registration
N2446J
Reported as
Cessna 150G
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15065546
Airframe hours
3,650
Engine
Continental, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Bolles, Kelly, C.
Registered owner
Bolles, Kelly, C.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
Departed
PAE · Everett, 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
40
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Toxicology
Performed
Flight hours
210 total · 95 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
300° at 12 knots
Visibility
50 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
52 °F, dew point 37 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
BFI, 9 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.