NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA89FA156
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT INTO IMC. THE PILOT DID NOT ADEQUATELY PLAN AND PREPARE FOR THE FLIGHT AND WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE ABOVE THE TERRAIN FOR VMC. FOG WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Factual narrative
DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT WHILE MANEUVERING IN A VALLEY THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN OBSERVED FLYING THROUGH THE PASS FOLLOWING THE ROAD AT APRX 50 AGL AND JUST UNDER A LAYER OF FOG. THE AIRPLANE DOVE DOWN INTO A VALLEY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PASS THAT WAS CLEAR FOR APRX 4 MILES THEN BECAME OBSCURED AGAIN SO THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE AIRPLANE HAD REVERSED COURSE AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN APRX 100 FEET BELOW THE AREA WHERE ENTRY WAS FIRST MADE. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT ALL AREAS AROUND AND ABOVE THE VALLEY WAS OBSCURED BY FOG. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_SEA89FA156.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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