Cessna 172N accident near Pasco, Washington, September 8, 2001
On September 8, 2001 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N426SK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pasco, Washington (Tri-Cities airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The DHC-8 maintenance crew's failure to maintain radio contact with the tower during its engine run. Factors included the tower controller not issuing a safety advisory on the DHC-8 engine run to the accident pilot as recommended by FAA guidance, and the FAA's failure to make information on jet blast/prop blast hazards available to controllers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2001 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pasco, Washington · Tri-Cities · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N426SK · registry record · serial 17273720
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident aircraft, piloted by a solo student, was attempting to taxi onto runway 30 for takeoff behind a Horizon Air DHC-8 undergoing a maintenance engine run in a runup area on the northeast side of the approach end of runway 30. The student pilot stated that after completing his preflight checklist, he waited, believing that the DHC-8 was about to take the runway for departure, but that when this did not happen he requested and received takeoff clearance for runway 30. The tower controller did not issue any cautionary advisories for the DHC-8 activity to the student pilot with the takeoff clearance. The student pilot reported that after starting toward the runway, "I was more than half way past behind [sic] the Horizon plane, when they revved their engines." The propeller blast from the DHC-8 forced the accident aircraft to tip to the left and forward, causing it to strike its wingtip and propeller on the taxiway surface. The aircraft continued to be buffeted by the propeller blast of the DHC-8 for several more minutes as the DHC-8 continued to do its engine run. The tower was subsequently unable to reach the DHC-8 on the radio. The DHC-8 crew, a pair of Horizon Air mechanics, continued its engine run until it was approached and signaled by an airport operations vehicle dispatched to the scene by the tower. About this time, the tower re-established radio contact with the DHC-8 and instructed the DHC-8 crew to reduce engine power. In interviews with an FAA inspector, the Horizon Air mechanics indicated they did not know how or why they lost radio contact with the tower. FAA Order 7110.65N, "Air Traffic Control", instructs controllers to "Issue [wake turbulence] cautionary information [to include use of the words jet blast, propwash, or rotorwash] to any aircraft [including those on the airport movement area] if in your opinion, wake turbulence may have an adverse effect on it." However, Order 7110.65N further states that "Because wake turbulence is unpredictable, the controller is not responsible for anticipating its existence or effect." A review of FAA Air Traffic Bulletins found no information on jet blast/prop blast hazards.
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: student
- Flight time: 80 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 29 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,864 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 7, 2001; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSC Pasco WA at 7:20 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PSC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N426SK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 SEA01LA169.