Cessna 180K accident near Eastsound, Washington, July 20, 1988
On July 20, 1988 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180K, registered N2748K, was destroyed in an accident near Eastsound, Washington. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- July 20, 1988 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Eastsound, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2748K · no longer on the register · serial 53058
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS CRUISING AT 200 FEET OVER THE WATER, LOOKED DOWN TO GET A CHART UNDER HIS SEAT AND COLLIDED WITH THE WATER.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,017 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 77 in the last 30 days; 4,958 as pilot in command; 371 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,930 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 18, 1988; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,190 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-520-KAHI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S60 Seattle WA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: YCD Nanaimo CA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from BLI, 19 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.