- Date
- December 21, 1989, 13:12 local (21:12 UTC)
- Place
- Nordland, WA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2228ECessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891221059779A
- Case key
- 41094
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
Undetermined.
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 purpose of the flight was to photograph a sailboat underway in puget sound. After circling the boat 3 times at a low altitude, the pilot headed southbound toward the dest arpt. The acft was observed on radar climbing to 1500 AGL, reverse course and enter a 1000 fpm dive until lost at 500 ft AGL. There was no radio comm during the dive from the acft that was in contact with ATC. Witnesses reported only seeing a splash at the accident site. The wreckage or occupants could not be located in 500 ft deep water and have not been recovered. Weather was VFR.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2228E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271192
- Airframe hours
- 3,652
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Whitney A. Shook
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 8, 1989 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- TIW · Tacoma, WA
- Destination
- TIW
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
- 79
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 240 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NUW, 17 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.