Boeing A75N1 accident near Brewster, Washington, October 23, 1983
On October 23, 1983 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Boeing A75N1, registered N49385, was destroyed in an accident near Brewster, Washington. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1983 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brewster, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1 · all A75N1s on the register
- Registration
- N49385 · no longer on the register · serial 75-2211
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS POSITIONING THE ACFT FOR SWATH RUNS WHEN IT CRASHED INTO RISING TERRAIN ON THE SIDE OF A HILL NEXT TO A VALLEY. THE PLT HAD PLANNED TO MAKE SWATH RUNS OVER AN ORCHARD IN THE VALLEY. DURING IMPACT, HE RECEIVED SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES & COULD NOT RECALL THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE MISHAP. HOWEVER, HE WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE ACFT BEFORE FIRE HAD SPREAD TO THE COCKPIT. WITNESSES ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE CRASH SITE REPORTED HEARING A STEADY ENGINE SOUND UNTIL THE ACFT IMPACTED. THE ACFT REMAINED INTACT & THE GROUND SCARS SHOWED THAT IT HAD MOVED ABOUT 6 FT FORWARD & 4 FT LEFT AFTER IMPACTING.
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: 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
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,355 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 28, 1983; 400 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: S97 Brewster WA at 10:57 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from EAT, 40 miles away
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.