Cessna 210E accident near N Bonneville, Washington, August 16, 1988
On August 16, 1988 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Cessna 210E, registered N3ME, was destroyed in an accident near N Bonneville, 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1988 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- N Bonneville, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210E · all 210Es on the register
- Registration
- N3ME · registry record · serial 21058672
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A FLT FROM OROVILLE TO ORCHARDS, WA, THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 25 TO 30 MI EAST OF THE DESTN WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED. IMPACT OCCURRED APRX 100 FT BELOW THE TOP OF A RIDGELINE AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 1755 FT. A WITNESS, WHO HEARD THE CRASH, RPRTD THE AREA WAS COVERED WITH HEAVY FOG. HE HEARD THE ACFT COMING FROM THE EAST, THEN SAW IT FLYING JUST ABOVE THE TREES AT AN ALT OF APRX 60 FT AGL. IT DISAPPEARED IN FOG TO THE WEST & CRASHED ABOUT 15 SECONDS LATER WHILE ON A SOUTHERLY HDG. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS OF THE ACFT WERE EVIDENT.
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: 9,116 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,035 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1988; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0S7 Oroville WA at 4:45 pm
- Destination: OS6 Orchards WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:47 pm from PDX, 28 miles away
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.
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.