Cessna 152 accident near Ellensburg, Washington, September 11, 1989
On September 11, 1989, a Cessna 152, registered N25228, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellensburg, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN CURRENT IN-FLIGHT WIND INFORMATION IN ORDER TO CALCULATE THAT HIS REMAINING FUEL SUPPLY WAS ADEQUATE TO REACH HIS FINAL DESTINATION. CONTRIBUTING WAS HIS INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1989
- Place
- Ellensburg, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25228 · registry record · serial 15280543
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT ELLENSBURG AT 1230, WITH STOPS AT PULLMAN, WALLA WALLA, AND A RETURN TO ELLENSBURG. SEVEN MILES FROM THE FINAL DESTINATION THE ENGINE LOST POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A FENCE. LESS THAN TWO GALLONS OF FUEL WERE DRAINED FROM THE TANKS. NO FUEL WAS PRESENT IN THE LINES, AND ONLY A TRACE WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR. THE PILOT HAD OBTAINED SURFACE, TERMINAL, AND WINDS ALOFT WX INFO VIA A HOME COMPUTER. THE SAME WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED WAS USED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FLIGHT.
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: 132 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 89 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALW Walla Walla WA at 10:45 pm
- Destination: ELN Ellensburg WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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 SEA89LA169.