Cessna 195 accident near Everett, Washington, April 17, 2004
On April 17, 2004 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N127DD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Everett, Washington (Snohomish Co (Paine Field)). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft as a result of a locked main gear brake during the landing roll. An inadvertent ground loop was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2004 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Everett, Washington · Snohomish Co (Paine Field) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N127DD · registry record · serial 7040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that the student pilot had accumulated about 10 hours of flight time since his recent purchase of the aircraft. After completing some air work, the flight returned to the airport to practice touch-and-go landings. Five landings had been accomplished without incident. During the landing roll for the sixth touch-and-go, the instructor stated that the aircraft started to pull to the right side. The instructor instructed the student to release the right brake and rudder, however, the aircraft "responded as if the student had increased the brake and rudder pressure." The instructor immediately applied full left rudder and braking action, and reduced power to idle, but he was unable to overcome the condition. The aircraft continued to skid toward the right side of the runway, in a side skipping action, which resulted in a partial ground loop. The aircraft came to rest on the side of the runway. After both pilots exited the aircraft to inspect for damage, they noted that when they attempted to move the tail back onto the runway, the aircraft would not move. It was also noted that the right side brake was "...very hot and smelled of hard braking when in fact we had not applied right brake during the roll out, and there were skid marks from both main gear wheels on the runway." A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector inspected the aircraft after it had been moved to a hangar. The Inspector reported that he did not observe any evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction with the brake system and did not note any evidence of heat distress.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,372 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 19,665 as pilot in command; 19,303 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,720 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2003; 29 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAE Everett WA at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16R, 9,010 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PAE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.