Cessna 172M accident near Skykomish, Washington, June 27, 2008
On June 27, 2008 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N94HJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Skykomish, Washington (Skykomish State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision and failure to execute a go-around when the airplane floated during the flare. Contributing to the accident was the short and wet turf runway surface, which reduced braking action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2008 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Skykomish, Washington · Skykomish State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N94HJ · registry record · serial 17265633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he made his final approach to the 2,050-foot-long turf runway at an airspeed of 65 knots to compensate for gusty wind conditions. He would normally have flown the approach at 55 knots for a short field landing. As the pilot flared the airplane, it started to float down the runway as the gusty wind conditions dissipated when the airplane descended below the tree line. The pilot delayed making a decision to execute a go-around until the airplane was halfway down the runway. At this point, he did not believe the airplane would be able to clear obstacles at the end of the runway and elected to continue the landing. The airplane touched down about 800 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot applied the brakes; however, the wet grass runway surface reduced braking action, and the airplane overran the runway and encountered a ravine. The nose gear collapsed, and the firewall was wrinkled.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing area undershoot during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area length › Contributed to outcome
- factor Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area condition › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 748 hours in all; 660 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAE Everett WA
- Destination: S88 Skykomish WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,050 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX08CA216.