NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW89FA065
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT DIVERTING HIS ATTENTION FROM FLYING THE AIRCRAFT WHILE COMPLYING WITH THE DEPARTURE CONTROL INSTRUCTIONS, AND ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO DESCEND INTO THE WATER.
Factual narrative
JUST AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 36 RIGHT, THE PILOT WAS INSTRUCTED BY ATC TO TURN LEFT TO 320 DEGS, WHICH THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED. HE WAS THEN TOLD TO CONTACT DEPARTURE CONTROL, WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. HE WAS CALLING DEPARTURE CONTROL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE WATER APPROXIMATELY 4,000' FEET BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE WEATHER AT THE TIME WAS INDEFINATE, SKY OBSCURED, 1/8 MILE VISIBILITY IN FOG. NO AIRCRAFT FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WERE 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_FTW89FA065.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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