Cessna 210-5 (205) accident near Rainier, Washington, December 8, 1989
On December 8, 1989 at about 3:47 am local time, a Cessna 210-5 (205), registered CFOXF, was destroyed in an accident near Rainier, 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
CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM WOODED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE WEATHER/TERRAIN CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1989 · about 3:47 am local time
- Place
- Rainier, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210-5 (205) 210-5 (205 · all 210-5 (205)s on the register
- Registration
- CFOXF · no longer on the register · serial 205-0355
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A WX BRIEFING, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED CANADIAN PLT WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HOWEVER, HE DEPARTED WITH A VFR FLT PLAN & RCVD VFR FLT FOLLOWING FROM ATC. WHILE CRUISING AT NIGHT AT 3000 FT MSL, HE WAS NOTIFIED THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST & TO RESUME HIS OWN NAVIGATION. A FREQ CHANGE WAS APPROVED & NO THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION WITH THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. EVIDENCE OF TREE CONTACT WAS FOUND AT AN ELEVATION OF 2800 FT. THE MAIN WRECHAGE CAME TO REST ON LOWER TERRAIN ABOUT 1500 FT BEYOND & 1000 FT BELOW THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. ABOUT 11 MI WEST AT OLYMPIA (ELEV 206 FT), THE 1950 PST WX WAS IN PART: 3000 FT OVC, VIS 5 MI, WIND FM 200 DEG AT 20 KTS. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 157 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,978 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 17, 1989; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,298 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Thy Olde Rent-A-Plane CO
The flight
- Departed from: BLI Bellingham WA at 2:40 am
- Destination: PDX Portland OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from OLM, 11 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.