- Date
- May 14, 1988, 13:56 local (20:56 UTC)
- Place
- Ocean Shores, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7935GCessna 172L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880514038929A
- Case key
- 40724
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 student pilot departed on his fifth solo flight from the airport where he had been accustomed to originating his instructional flights. After several touch and go landings he proceeded to a nearby airport and conducted at least one more touch and go. Witnesses observed the takeoff, climb and entry into the traffic patern. Shortly after, a witness said the aircraft pitched nose down and impacted the bay in a nose low, wings level attitude. Witnesses heard the enginerunning at impact. No evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunction or pilot impairment could be found. The student had a total of about 19 hrs of flight time (3 hrs of solo).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7935G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17259635
- Airframe hours
- 5,157
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Grays Harbor Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Elma Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 15, 1988 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- HQM · Hoquiam, WA
- Airport
- S26 · Ocean Shores, runway 15, 2,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 19 total · 19 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HQM, 8 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.