Cessna 172N accident near McMurray, WA
On July 27, 2008, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near McMurray, WA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 27, 2008
- Place
- McMurray, WA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 48.302°N, 122.109°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080731X01132
Official records · LAX08FA246
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 27, 2008, at 1439 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N75558, impacted trees and terrain while maneuvering near McMurray, Washington. The airplane was registered to Crest Airpark, Inc., Kent, Washington, and operated by the pilot, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and two passengers were killed. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of departure and instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Roche Harbor Airport (WA09), Roche Harbor, Washington, about 1402, with an intended destination of Auburn, Washington. A family member of the pilot reported the airplane missing to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on July 27, 2008, after becoming concerned when the airplane had not arrived at its intended destination. The FAA subsequently issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT). The airplane was located by air units on July 27, 2008, approximately 2120, in a heavily wooded mountainous area about 6 miles east of McMurray. A witness who was flying in a Cessna 170 reported she intended to fly from Blakely, Washington, to Auburn. During the flight, they elected to return to Blakely due to lowering ceilings and decreasing visibility south of Port Townsend, Washington. During the return flight to Blakely, she was receiving traffic advisories from Whidbey Approach Control. The controller advised
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to continue VFR flight into instrument meteorological weather conditions. Contributing to the accident were low ceilings, reduced visibility, and mountainous terrain.
More accidents in WA
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Sep 4, 2022
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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.
