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Accidents · NTSB SEA86LA198 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 188 accident near Easton, Washington, August 14, 1986

On August 14, 1986 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 188, registered N5506S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Easton, Washington (Easton State airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 14, 1986 · about 1:00 am local time · cases in 1986
Place
Easton, Washington · Easton State · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
Registration
N5506S · no longer on the register · serial 188-0006
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)

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

THE TOW PLANE WITH GLIDER ATTACHED BEGAN LOSING PWR AT APRX 50 FT AGL DURING TAKEOFF. THE TOW PLT SIGNALED THE GLIDER PLT FOR TOW RELEASE. THE TWO PLTS LANDED ON THE REMAINING RWY. THE TOW PLANE SKIDDED INTO THE TREES OFF THE END OF THE RWY. INVESTIGATION AFTER THE ACC REVEALED A 1 INCH PIECE OF TEFLON TAPE BLOCKING THE INTAKE SIDE OF THE FUEL PUMP. THE GLIDER IN ATTEMPTING TO LAND ALSO COLLIDED WITH THE TREES.

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: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 178 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 141 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 15, 1986; 50 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental IO 520 D (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 27, 2,640 ft by 100 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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/SEA86LA198.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.