Cessna 172I accident near Sandy, Oregon, July 6, 2000
On July 6, 2000 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172I, registered N35359, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandy, Oregon (Sandy River airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point for landing, and his failure to go around from the improperly executed approach. Factors included the pilot's failure to attain the proper glidepath on the approach, a short landing runway, and vegetation off the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2000 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sandy, Oregon · Sandy River · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172I · all 172Is on the register
- Registration
- N35359 · no longer on the register · serial 17256733
- 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 on final, he was higher than necessary. He subsequently touched down at the center of the field (the turf runway is 2,115 feet long.) He stated that he 'should have gone around but by the time I realized I wasn't going to make a successful landing it was [too] late.' The aircraft went off the end of the runway into soft dirt and blackberry vines. The pilot stated that he 'thought there was a pile of brush so [I] pushed the left rudder and ground looped rather than hit head on the brush.' The pilot indicated on his NTSB accident report that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,745 hours in all; 155 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 9, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WA10 Camas WA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 03S
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,115 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.