- Date
- February 25, 1989, 20:35 local (Feb 26, 1989, 01:35 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Washington, MD
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N8359LCessna 172I
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890225015559A
- Case key
- 11492
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The passenger failed to maintain adequate clearance from the propeller as she attempted to board the aircraft. Both the pilot failure to supervise the boarding of the passenger and the night light conditions are contributing factors to the accident.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was stopped on the ramp with the plt aboard. The engine was running. The pax crossed in front of the acft and walked toward the right door to board the acft. When she passed the prop she was struck by it. The extent of her injuries were not realized until she boarded since according to the plt, the pax said she was just grazed by the prop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8359L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172I
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17256559
- Airframe hours
- 4,792
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stanley B. Fetter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 1988
- Airport
- PGC · Potomac Airport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 425 total · 326 in this make and model · 344 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.