- Date
- July 20, 2025, 09:36 local (16:36 UTC)
- Place
- Concrete, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6964ACessna 172
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250720019879A
- Case key
- 200586
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 pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines, which resulted in a wire strike.
Findings · 2
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 pilot stated that he was flying over the river to examine a long gravel bar that he intended to land on. While looking for powerlines for the approach he had lost some altitude and was attempting to recover when a power line flew overhead and collided with the vertical stabilizer. The pilot attempted to regain control of the airplane, which then impacted terrain next to the riverbank. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6964A
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 29064
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 4,603.8
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Daniel P Gore
- Registered owner
- Jackalope Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 2025 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- BLI · Bellingham, WA
- Destination
- 1S2 · Darrington, WA
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- 33
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 4, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 614.4 total · 524.8 in this make and model · 544.4 as pilot in command · 32.9 in the last 90 days · 4.4 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KBVS, 22 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KBVS 201655Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM BKN017 15/11 A3004 RMK A01=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.