Cessna 172 accident near Conconully, Washington, October 30, 2000
On October 30, 2000 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered CGDNN, was destroyed in an accident near Conconully, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees while flying at a very low altitude in mountainous/hilly terrain. Factors include, forested mountainous/hilly terrain, flight at a very low altitude, and an encounter with a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 2000 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Conconully, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- CGDNN · no longer on the register · serial 29068
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While flying very low over forested mountainous terrain, the aircraft encountered a downdraft that caused it to suddenly sink. Before the pilot was able to take corrective action, one of the aircraft's wings collided with a tree, and it cart wheeled into the terrain. After the aircraft came to rest, a fire erupted that consumed about 50 percent of the aircraft structure.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: YDC Princeton at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 99°F (37°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.