Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000 accident near Blaine, Washington, August 26, 2007
On August 26, 2007 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000, registered N8179, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blaine, Washington (Blaine Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in the airplane departing from the paved runway surface. Contributing factors were the crosswind and the soft ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2007 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Blaine, Washington · Blaine Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000
- Registration
- N8179 · registry record · serial 972
- 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 touched down smoothly on the centerline of runway 32. After he lowered the tail of the airplane, a crosswind from the right moved the airplane to the left, resulting in the left wheel departing the side of the runway. The left wheel dug into the soft ground, and the airplane turned left, exited the runway and encountered a ditch. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported the winds from 230 degrees at 7 knots.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 812 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming R-680-13 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORS Eastsound WA
- Destination: 4W6 Blaine WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,539 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.