Cessna 172B accident near Seattle, Washington, August 14, 2007
On August 14, 2007 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172B, registered N7657X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seattle, Washington. 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 private pilot's failure to see the approaching large wake swell, both during his landing and the subsequent takeoff, and the failure of the instructor pilot to insure that the private pilot's visual lookout was effective enough to detect the oncoming wake. Factors include a wake generated by a large boat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2007 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B · all 172Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7657X · registry record · serial 17248157
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the floatplane instructional flight, the private pilot decided to make a practice landing and takeoff on a large lake. Although the landing on the calm water was uneventful, during the takeoff run, just before liftoff, the aircraft encountered the wake of a large boat. As the aircraft crossed the crest of the first wave of the wake, it became momentarily airborne, and then it impacted the advancing forward face of the second wave. At the moment of impact, four of the float attach fittings failed. The pilot therefore immediately aborted the takeoff, but the right wing impacted the surface of the water before the aircraft came to a stop. Neither the private pilot nor the instructor pilot that was supervising him had seen the large swell approaching during the landing, and during the takeoff run, neither of them noticed it until a few seconds prior to the time the aircraft impacted it.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,988 hours in all; 1,001 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,103 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 104 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,954 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2007
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Seattle WA
- Destination: Spanaway WA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.