Amateur-built GLASAIR I-FT accident near Puyallup, Washington, August 21, 1996
On August 21, 1996, a amateur-built GLASAIR I-FT, registered N289W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Puyallup, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
failure of the air inlet screen, and subsequent ingestion of the foam air filter. An inadequate maintenance modification by the amateur builder and no suitable landing area were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1996
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASAIR I-FT GLASAIR I-
- Registration
- N289W · registry record · serial 289
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during climb-out after completing a touch-and-go, the engine lost power at 300 to 400 feet above ground level. The pilot stated that there was not a suitable landing site, and he opted to make a forced landing to a roadway. During touchdown, the airplane collided with two occupied vehicles. An engine inspection revealed that the inlet screen to the carburetor air box had been fabricated with an approximate half-inch square metal meshing. The wire on the screen had broken and had allowed the foam air filter to be sucked into the throat of the carburetor.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,982 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 3,270 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 106 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 17, 1996; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from TCM, 15 miles away
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.