Cessna 172M accident near Seattle, Washington, September 8, 2001
On September 8, 2001 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20675, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seattle, Washington (Boeing Field/King County Intl). 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
Pilot's failure to maintain an adequate visual lookout during taxi. A fence was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2001 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Boeing Field/King County Intl · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- 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
- N20675 · registry record · serial 17261482
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot submitted a written report to the NTSB, and reported that shortly after landing, he was cleared to taxi the airplane to the northeast parking area via taxiway Alpha. He reported that while traveling northbound on the taxiway he encountered an airplane that was traveling southbound on the same taxiway. In an effort to avoid the oncoming (southbound) airplane, he maneuvered the airplane to the easterly edge of the taxiway and inadvertently collided with the temporary construction fence.
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: 190 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 17, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,467 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 2001; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S21 Sunriver OR at 7:00 pm
- Destination: BFI Seattle WA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 31, 10,001 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KBFI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.