Cessna 210E accident near Wenatchee, Washington, October 18, 1988
On October 18, 1988 at about 1:59 pm local time, a Cessna 210E, registered N4961U, was destroyed in an accident near Wenatchee, Washington. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- October 18, 1988 · about 1:59 pm local time
- Place
- Wenatchee, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210E · all 210Es on the register
- Registration
- N4961U · no longer on the register · serial 21058661
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED WHILE THE PLT WAS ON A X-COUNTRY FLT AT DAWN. IMPACT OCCURRED ON RISING, ROCKY TERRAIN IN A BOX CANYON AREA AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 6000 FT. NO GROUND SCARS WERE EVIDENT, BUT THE ACFT IMPACTED ON A ROCKY SLIDE AREA. IT CAME TO REST IN ONE AREA WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT. THE PROP BLADES HAD CHORDWISE NICKS, SCRAPES & DEEP GOUGES. APRX 11 MI SOUTHWEST AT WENATCHEE, WA, THE 0649 WX WAS IN PART: ESTD 9000 FT BROKEN, 25,000 FT OVERCAST, 15 MI VISIBILITY, WIND LIGHT & VARIABLE. THE ELEV OF THE WX FACILITY WAS 1245 FT.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,740 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,205 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1988; 139 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EAT Wenatchee WA at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 039 Ravendale CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:49 pm from EAT, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.