Amateur-built SEAREY accident near Friday Harbor, Washington, August 31, 2012
On August 31, 2012 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built SEAREY, registered N346PE, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Friday Harbor, Washington (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate glidepath and failure to maintain clearance from the transmission wire during a landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2012 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Friday Harbor, Washington · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEAREY, built 2008
- Registration
- N346PE · registry record · serial 1DK425C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing to the south at a private airstrip. The owner of the airstrip observed the airplane on short final when it struck transmission wires that ran perpendicular to and north of the airstrip. The airplane nosed over and impacted terrain. Postimpact examination of the airplane revealed wire strike marks on the left main landing gear and the keel of the fuselage. No preimpact mechanical discrepancies were found with the airplane's airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation. The airstrip owner stated that he was unaware of the pilot's impending visit. He said that he tells all visiting pilots to land to the north so as to land uphill and avoid the transmission wires. The airstrip owner also reported that he talked to a pilot who spoke to the accident pilot before he departed on the accident flight and who informed him of the presence of wires at the north end of the airstrip.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 180 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 258 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 29, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORS Eastsound WA at 10:45 pm
- Destination: None Friday Harbor WA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 20, 1,200 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from FHR, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.