Cessna 172N accident near Ellensburg, WA
On October 1, 1993, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ellensburg, WA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 1, 1993
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 46.969°N, 120.471°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X13472
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 30, 1993, approximately 1800 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Cessna 172N, N172LS, registered to the Whidbey Island Navy Flying Club, impacted the terrain while maneuvering in Coleman Canyon, approximately 15 miles north of Ellensburg, Washington. The private pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. The personal pleasure flight, which was being conducted under 14 CFR 91, had departed Bowers Field, Ellensburg, Washington about 1745. The pilot, who had filed a VFR flight plan to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, was in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. On the first leg of this flight, the pilot had departed Whidbey Island Naval Air Station at about 1430 PDT and, according to the time/date block of a video tape found in the wreckage, arrived in Ellensburg at 1625. While at Ellensburg, the aircraft was fueled with 12.5 gallons of aviation fuel at about 1650. Then at 1655, the pilot called Seattle Flight Service, received an abbreviated weather briefing, and advised them that he planned to depart Ellensburg at 1800. The pilot departed Ellensburg at 1745 and opened his VFR flight plan with Seattle Flight Service at 1747. The video tape that was found in the wreckage showed that during both the flight to Ellensburg and the return flight to Whidbey Island, the pilot spent time maneuvering the aircraft at low level in and around Coleman Canyon. During these portions of the video, the cockpit conversation centered on elk and deer hunting in the area. About one minute prior to the end
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN AIRSPEED ABOVE STALLING SPEED (VS), AND HIS INADEQUATE REMEDIAL ACTION. FACTORS INCLUDE THE PILOT'S DIVERTED ATTENTION, AND AN INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN.
More accidents in WA
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Sep 4, 2022
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- Beech A60, Nov 21, 1992
Browse: Washington · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
