NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI89FA196
Registry · N2YS
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SZYBOWCOWY ZAKLAD DOSWIADCZALN SZD-36-A
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19810403
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A18F88
Registrant of record
DONALD J BEAHM
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE DURING A VISUAL APPROACH AT DUSK. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: LIGHT CONDITIONS AT DUSK, THE PILOT'S VISUAL PERCEPTION, AND THE TREES.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT WAS MAKING A VISUAL APPROACH AT DUSK TO RUNWAY 36, WHICH SLOPED UPWARD FROM THE APPROACH END. IT WAS LIGHTED WITH LOW INTENSITY LIGHTS. AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROCEEDING IN THE VICINITY OF A LEFT BASE LEG, IT COLLIDED WITH TREES ABOUT 50' ABOVE THE GROUND. IT THEN CRASHED TO THE GROUND & BEGAN BURNING. ONE PASSENGER EGRESSED FROM THE AIRCRAFT WITH INJURIES FROM IMPACT & FIRE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_CHI89FA196.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.