Ayres S2R accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, May 23, 1989
On May 23, 1989 at about 10:00 am local time, a Ayres S2R, registered N5548X, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED FLIGHT FROM VMC TO IMC, WITH ICING CONDITIONS, FROM WHICH RECOVERY WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1989 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R
- Registration
- N5548X · no longer on the register · serial 2425R
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SHANNON, IRELAND UNDER A TWO AIRCRAFT VFR FLIGHT PLAN AND HAD BECOME SEPARATED DURING THE SPECIAL VFR DEPARTURE. UPON APPROACHING FRONTAL ACTIVITY N5548X WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES SOUTH OF THE COMPANION AIRCRAFT AND ELECTED TO DEVIATE SOUTH OF A STORM ON HIS COURSE. THE PILOT REPORTED TO HIS COMPANION AIRCRAFT, NORTH OF THE STORM, THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED RAIN AND THEN ICING CONDITIONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED PILOT SYSTEM. RESCUE AIRCRAFT REPORTED THAT SEA FOG EXISTED IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT. THE INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER WAS NOT SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVED AND THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES UPON IMPACT WITH THE WATER.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,600 hours in all; 2,313 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,400 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EINN Shannon OF
- Destination: BIKE Rekjavik OF
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.