Cessna 172K accident near Gig Harbor, Washington, January 14, 2003
On January 14, 2003 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N1909V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gig Harbor, Washington (Tacoma Narrows airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power in the climb due to the fracture of the number seven engine crankshaft cheek due to the propagation of a fatigue crack initiation point. Factors include a vehicle pulling onto the road that the pilot selected for his forced emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2003 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Gig Harbor, Washington · Tacoma Narrows · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N1909V · no longer on the register · serial 1722219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the climb after takeoff, the aircraft's engine started surging and making loud noises. This was followed by a steady decrease in the power the engine would produce, and an increase in the loud noises emanating from the engine compartment. Being unable to maintain his assigned attitude, the pilot descended in instrument meteorological conditions until he broke out of the clouds about 800 to 1000 feet above the ground. Knowing that he could not make it to the airport, the pilot attempted a power-out forced landing on a nearby road, but when he was about 20 feet above the road's surface a car pulled out onto the roadway. During the landing sequence, the aircraft impacted the rear of the car. It was ultimately determined that the loss of power was due to the fracture of the number seven crankshaft cheek as the result of the propagation of a fatigue crack initiation point. Materials laboratory examination of the crankshaft did not discover any clear reason for the creation of the initiation point.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 478 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 752 as pilot in command; 159 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 12, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 2002; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TIW Tacoma WA at 3:40 pm
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from TIW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1909V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.