Cessna 150F accident near Skykomish, Washington, June 29, 1988
On June 29, 1988 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N2RE, was destroyed in an accident near Skykomish, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1988 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Skykomish, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N2RE · registry record · serial 15063988
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NONINSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO FOLLOW US HIGHWAY 2 WESTBOUND ACROSS THE CASCADES MOUNTAINS. ACCORDING TO SEVERAL WITNESSES UPON CRESTING THE STEVENS PASS AREA AT AN ALTITUDE OF 4300 FEET MSL (APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET AGL) HE ENCOUNTERED LOW CLOUDS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY. THE PILOT THEN FLEW INTO CLOUDS DURING WHICH A DESCENDING CLOCKWISE COURSE CHANGE BACK TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST WAS ATTEMPTED. WHILE THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING THE AIRCRAFT IN A SHALLOW LEFT TURN THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE. CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOST AND THE AIRCRAFT THEN COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN DURING AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT.
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: 1,703 hours in all; 26 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,628 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 1987; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8S2 Cashmere WA at 4:33 pm
- Flight plan: none
- 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 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA88FA120.