Fairchild 24W-41A accident near Wenatchee, Washington, December 24, 2004
On December 24, 2004, a Fairchild 24W-41A, registered N28525, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wenatchee, Washington (Pangborn Memorial airport). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A frozen brake was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 2004 · cases in 2004
- Place
- Wenatchee, Washington · Pangborn Memorial · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild 24W-41A · all 24W-41As on the register
- Registration
- N28525 · registry record · serial W40-134
- 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 during the landing roll on runway 30, the right side brake/tire made a noise and was dragging. The aircraft began turning to the right at 90 degrees as the pilot attempted correction action. The aircraft started to "hop" across the surface as the aircraft eventually ground looped. The left main landing gear folded underneath the fuselage, the right main landing gear was bent outward, the left wing tip contacted the surface and the propeller was damaged. The pilot indicated that he believed that the brake might have frozen from ice as he did fly through precipitation while en route and the temperatures were low, about 20 degrees F. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction to the brake system was found after the aircraft was moved by maintenance personnel.
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: 711 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Warner SS165 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID
- Destination: EAT Wenatchee WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N28525 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Fairchild 24 242 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Fairchild 616 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Warner SS165 114 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pangborn Memorial · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,663 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA05CA030.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.