KIRKLAND, WA, USA
N2446J
CESSNA 150G
AFTER DEPARTING ONE AIRPORT AND LANDING/TAKING OFF FROM A SECOND WITHOUT A CLEARANCE THE PILOT WAS OBSERVED TO FLY BENEATH THE I-90 CAUSEWAY BRIDGING MERCER ISLAND TO BELLEVUE. ADDITIONALLY, HE WAS OBSERVED FLYING 10 FEET ABOVE THE WATER IN THE VICINITY OF HIS RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE WHILE FLYING APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET ABOVE GROUND. THE PILOT'S ROOMMATE REPORTED TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL THAT HE HAD TOLD HER THAT 'HE WAS GOING TO FLY TO PAINE FIELD' AND THAT 'I MIGHT EVEN COME BY AND BUZZ YOU.'
On November 13, 1993, approximately 1510 hours Pacific standard time (PST), a tailwheel equipped Cessna 150G, N2446J, recently purchased/being flown by Kelly C. Bolles, a certificated private pilot, was destroyed when the aircraft collided with a tree and terrain, while maneuvering at low altitude in the vicinity of the pilot's residential apartment complex in Kirkland, Washington. The pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal in nature, was to have been operated in accordance with the requirements set forth in 14CFR91 and originated at Everett, Washington. According to air traffic control tower personnel working at the Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) tower at Everett, the pilot acknowledged his taxi instructions and was told to hold short of runway 34R. The aircraft subsequently departed without a clearance at approximately 1435 hours. Shortly thereafter, air traffic control tower personnel working at Boeing Field at Seattle reported observing N2446J landing on runway 13L without a clearance and against the established traffic pattern direction. The aircraft then ground looped during the rollout. The aircraft was observed to come to rest partially on the runway and an adjacent taxiway where it remained for several minutes. It then took off on runway 31R, again without a clearance, and departed to the east. Additionally, witnesses reported observing the aircraft fly beneath the I-90 causeway linking Mercer Island to Bellevue. According to the Kirkland Police Department, Case Report 93K7067, witnesses reported an aircraft flying at an altitude of 10 feet above the surface of Lake Washington in close proximity to an apartment building at 515 Lake Street South. One of the witnesses interviewed by the Kirkland Police Department, Laura L. Boone, who was reported to be the pilot's roommate, stated that "Bolles left his apartment this morning to go to the airport" and that he was "going to fly to Paine Field and have lunch with his brother." Additionally, she stated that "as Bolles was leaving he told her 'I might even come by and buzz you and Charlie (her son).'" A drug screen was conducted by the University of Washington (Harborview Hospital) on blood/urine samples released by pilot Bolles subsequent to the accident. The only positive determination was for "Benzodiazepines" and the report stated that the results were "presumed positive by immunochemical method. GC mass spec. confirmation not performed." It was unknown whether the positive for Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) was due to a condition pre existing the accident or were a result of post crash medication at the accident site.
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE WITH THE TREE. A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S OSTENTATIOUS DISPLAY.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
