- Date
- August 17, 1987, 11:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Kettle Falls, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9747BCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870817045919A
- Case key
- 40534
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
While on a local personal flight, plt entered a canyon into rising terrain, colliding first with a tree and then ground near crest. Investigation revealed that acft probably had performance to clear crest had tree not been struck. Circumstances indicate plt maneuvered left toward a saddle and probably lost sight of the tree close to the left wing. Both plt and pax do not recall crash sequence, however a witness on the ground observed the acft turn north up a canyon and was concerned enough to follow it by ground vehicle up a canyon road.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9747B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1010
- Airframe hours
- 991
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tracy A. Vandeventer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 7, 1986 · 150 hours before
- Departed
- 63S · Colville, WA
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
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 114 total · 34 in this make and model · 64 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GEG, 55 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.