Cessna 172M accident near Bremerton, WA
On September 24, 1997, a Cessna 172M (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bremerton, WA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 24, 1997
- Place
- Bremerton, WA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 47.571°N, 122.630°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08924
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 23, 1997, at 2330 Pacific daylight time, N6756H, a Cessna 172M, operated by Pegasus Air, Inc., collided with a tree and impacted a pond during final approach to the Bremerton National Airport near Bremerton, Washington. The airplane was substantially damaged and there was no fire. The private pilot and his two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight departed from Friday Harbor, Washington, and was destined for the Bremerton National Airport. The flight was conducted at night under 14 CFR 91. According to a flight instructor (interview synopsis attached), the accident pilot arrived at the Pegasus Air office, located at the Bremerton National Airport, one day before the accident. The accident pilot told the instructor that he wanted to "get checked out" to rent airplanes at Pegasus Air. The instructor stated that the accident pilot told him that he was visiting the area from California and wanted to fly around the local area with friends. The instructor further stated that the pilot had been scheduled for only one hour for the check-out, and that the instructor had another scheduled activity after that hour. About 25 minutes into the check-out, while the instructor and the accident pilot were in the Pegasus office during the oral portion of the check-out, the instructor told the accident pilot that there was not enough time to complete both the ground and flight portions of the check-out during the scheduled time. The two agreed that only the ground portio
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude from the runway, and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from the terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were dark night conditions, the pilot's improper decision to conduct the flight at night, his lack of recent experience in the type of operation (night flying), his lack of familiarity with the geographical area, the inoperative a
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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.
