Cessna A-185-F accident near Seattle, Washington, November 29, 1989
On November 29, 1989 at about 11:20 am local time, a Cessna A-185-F, registered N1920Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seattle, Washington (Boeing Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING THE LANDING ROLL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1989 · about 11:20 am local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Boeing Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A-185-F · all A-185-Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1920Q · registry record · serial 18503502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN UNAUTHORIZED FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE WAS LAST CLEARED TO LAND BY ATC. THE CONTROLLER LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE AIRPLANE AND AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO MAKE CONTACT WAS MADE. THE AIRPLANE WAS LATER FOUND ABANDONED ON THE TAXIWAY JUST OFF THE RUNWAY. SKID MARKS BEGINNING APRX 600 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD AND ENDING AT THE WRECKAGE WERE FOUND. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HAD COLLAPSED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS RESTING ON THE LEFT WING. THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BOTH BENT AND CURLED. THE PILOT WAS NEVER LOCATED AND THE OWNER REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE MUST HAVE BEEN STOLEN.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31L, 10,001 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:47 am from BFI
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.
Other NTSB records under N1920Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 SEA90LA024.