Cessna 172N accident near Gig Harbor, Washington, March 3, 2004
On March 3, 2004 at about 4:13 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N75844, 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; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the published IFR procedure resulting in failure to maintain clearance from objects during an instrument approach. Trees and an inoperative glide slope receiver were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 2004 · about 4:13 am local time
- Place
- Gig Harbor, Washington · Tacoma Narrows · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N75844 · registry record · serial 17267998
- 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 he was practicing night instrument landing system in visual conditions when during the third practice approach, the aircraft collided with an object. The pilot broke off the approach and returned to his base airport where it was determined that the left wing came in contact with a tree. Air traffic communications and radar data indicated that the aircraft was established on the localizer during the three approaches, however, was below the minimum descent altitude of 2,000 feet on the first approach by 500 feet and 900 feet on the second approach when crossing the final approach fix (FAF). The FAF is identified via a radial from a VOR. During the third approach, radar data indicated that the aircraft was tracking on the localizer, but continued to descend to 500 feet about 1.7 nautical miles prior to the FAF. The radar data indicated a climb shortly after this point. Testing of the airport approach equipment revealed normal equipment operation. Testing of the aircraft's #1 ILS system found the glide slope to have extremely low sensitivity. The glide slope receiver also could not pick up a signal. The localizer was within tolerance, but off by a dot and a half. The safety pilot reported that he never saw the airport during the third approach and thought that everything was ok.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. 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 SEA04LA048.