The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB SEA03LA029 · Final report

Dassault Aviation Falcon 900EX accident near PO, January 16, 2003

On January 16, 2003, a Dassault Aviation Falcon 900EX, registered N11WM, was involved in an accident near PO. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 5 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The aircraft's encounter with moderate turbulence in cruise.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
January 16, 2003 · cases in 2003
Place
, PO · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured; 5 others were unhurt.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Dassault Aviation Falcon 900EX · all Falcon 900EXs on the register
Registration
N11WM · registry record · serial 058
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The Dassault Aviation Falcon 900EX, crewed by two airline transport rated pilots, and accompanied by four passengers, had departed Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, en route to Honolulu International airport, Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft climbed to FL 340 and was then cleared to FL 360 as it progressed along airway A332. As the flight proceeded, it encountered intermittent light to occasionally moderate turbulence and the crew made repeated requests for a higher altitude through Air Traffic Control, but the requests were not approved. A little more than half way into the flight, the aircraft's track began to converge obliquely with a cold frontal system extending southwest through the Hawaiian Islands, and the aircraft encountered headwinds of more than 100 knots approximately 30 degrees right of the aircraft's track. Approximately 4 hours 17 minutes into the flight, the aircraft was operating in the tops of clouds with good visibility when a passenger and her attendant left their seats to use the lavatory located in the rear of the aircraft. During this time the aircraft encountered moderate turbulence for a period of ten seconds or less and the attendant sustained a fractured ankle. Immediately following the event the crew requested and received approval for a climb to FL 370.

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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 12,606 hours in all; 432 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 9,331 as pilot in command; 2,090 on instruments
  • Last flight review: November 11, 2002
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

  • Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 3,126 hours in all; 1,052 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,744 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: November 11, 2002
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 898 hours
  • Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 11, 2002; 21 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 49,200 lb
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Honeywell (Garrett) TFE 731-60-1C (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Honeywell (Garrett) TFE 731-60-1C (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Engine 3: Honeywell (Garrett) TFE 731-60-1C (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Operator: Pistol Creek Financial Co.

The flight

  • Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 8:26 pm
  • Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 235° at 127 knots
  • Visibility: 50 statute miles
  • Temperature: -67°F (-55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew2
Passengers13

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA03LA029.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.