Skip to content

SEA89LA153

1989-08-19 · MULINO, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 4S9

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

IMPROPER INSTALLATION AND ROUTING OF THE FUEL PRESSURE LINE AND/OR ELECTRICAL WIRING, DUE TO IMPROPER MAINTENANCE, WHICH RESULTED IN MECHANICAL BINDING OF THE ELEVATOR CONTROL COLUMN. THE FENCE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A RELATED FACTOR.

Factual narrative

DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE PVT PLT APPLIED BACK PRESSURE FOR LIFT-OFF, BUT THE CONTROL COLUMN WAS RESTRICTED FROM MOVING AFT. AS THE ACFT NEARED THE END OF THE RWY, BOTH PLTS PULLED BACK ON THE CONTROL WHEEL ENOUGH TO GET THE ACFT AIRBORNE; HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO GET THE ACFT TO CLIMB. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH THE ARPT BOUNDRY FENCE & CRASHED. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE FUEL PRESSURE LINE TO THE FUEL GAGE HAD BEEN RUBBING ON THE RIGHT CONTROL WHEEL SPROCKET, & AVIONICS WIRING WAS FOUND IN & AROUND THE CONTROL COLUMN AREA. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_SEA89LA153.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, maintenance). All research papers