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Atlas / NTSB / SEA90LA160

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event SEA90LA160

1990-08-11 ELLENSBURG, Washington, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N232CM

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CHRISTEN INDUSTRIES INC PITTS S-2B

Year of manufacture

1989 · 1 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING AEIO-540 SER (260 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19900202

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A2102C

Registrant of record

INVERTED HOLDINGS LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE ABOVE THE TERRAIN OR VISUAL LOOKOUT WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH A TRANSMISSION WIRE.

Factual narrative

DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE WAS ONE OF FOUR IN A FLIGHT FLYING LOW LEVEL AND FOLLOWING A HIGHWAY. THE AIRPLANES WERE FLYING ABREAST ONE ANOTHER AND THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS WATCHING THE OTHERS ON EITHER SIDE OF HIM AS FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS NEAR NONEXISTANT DUE TO THE AIRPLANES CONFIGURATION. THE TERRAIN WAS ROLLING AND RISING IN FRONT OF THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT THEN HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE AIRPLANE HAD A TENDENCY TO ROLL TO THE LEFT WHICH THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO COMPENSATE FOR. THE FLIGHT WAS THEN DIVERTED TO ANOTHER AIRPORT WHERE A LANDING WAS MADE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IT WAS LATER FOUND THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE THAT RAN ACROSS THE INTERSTATE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_SEA90LA160.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.