Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1 accident near Wenatchee, Washington, September 16, 1988
On September 16, 1988 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1, registered N8815C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wenatchee, Washington. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1988 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wenatchee, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1
- Registration
- N8815C · no longer on the register · serial DW 10091 82
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, PLT NOTED WIND INCREASING. PLT THEN MADE DOWNWIND 300 FT AGL SURVEY RUN OF FIELD TO BE SPRAYED ABUTTING COLUMBIA RIVER. IN PROCEDURE TURN OVER RIVER AT COMPLETION OF RUN, ACFT ENCOUNTERED 'SINKHOLE' WIHCH PLT COULD NOT COUNTER WITH FULL POWER AND AFTER DUMPING LOAD. ACFT COLLIDED WITH 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 16,500 hours in all; 575 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 16,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,204 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 16, 1988; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Inland Air Services, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.