- Date
- August 29, 2021, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wenatchee, WA · Near Ski Resort. Wooded mountanious terrain
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N51547Cessna 172P
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20210829017899A
- Case key
- 103781
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 student pilot’s inadequate inflight navigation and the flight instructors delayed remedial action which resulted in a collision with trees.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that, while conducting mountain flying training, and using roads as a primary means of navigation, the pilot rated student made a wrong turn due to smoke/haze and entered an area where the airplane could not out climb terrain. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane which subsequently collided with vegetation (trees). The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51547
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274318
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 3,545.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Galvin Flight Training
- Registered owner
- Taylor M. Ferre
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 17, 2021 · 24 hours before
- Departed
- KEAT · Wenatchee, WA
- Destination
- KBFI · Seattle, WA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 81
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- September 21, 2020
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 16,550 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 15,900 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 5, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 119 total · 119 in this make and model · 62 as pilot in command · 9.1 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- KEAT, 11 nm away
- METAR
- KEAT 292355Z AUTO 11007KT 10SM CLR 29/08 A2979 RMK AO2 SLP080 T02940083 10294 20211 56022
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.