- Date
- July 28, 1993, 21:30 local (Jul 29, 1993, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Monroe, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N734DLCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930728026019A
- Case key
- 43048
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 improper inflight decision by the PIC and his failure to attain proper runway alignment. Factors relating to the accident were the dark night light conditions, unavailability of runway lights, and lack of recent night flight time by the PIC.
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 pilot made an approach to a row of vegetation which he mistook for the runway while attempting to land at the unlighted airport on a dark night. He veered toward the runway at a low altitude, attempting to line up with the runway, and the acft impacted the ground. The pilot had no recent night flt time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N734DL
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268773
- Airframe hours
- 3,110
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Duane O. Kaasa
- Registered owner
- Duane & Patricia Kaasa
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 1993 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- PAE · Everett, WA
- Airport
- WA38 · Firstair Field, runway 7, 2,092 × 34 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 418 total · 400 in this make and model · 380 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAE, 12 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.