Cessna 180J accident near North Bend, Washington, May 30, 1983
On May 30, 1983 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N42917, was destroyed in an accident near North Bend, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1983 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- North Bend, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N42917 · registry record · serial 18052385
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD REQUESTED A VFR DEPARTURE EASTBOUND TO WATERVILLE & RADAR FLT FOLLOWING. HE STATED HE WOULD BE GOING VFR THROUGH STAMPEDE PASS. AFTER TAKEOFF THE ACFT WAS TRACKED ON A RADAR HEADING OF ENE AT AN ALTITUDE OF 2,500 FT MSL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE PLT CANCELLED FLIGHT FOLLOWING, STATING HE CAN MAINTAIN VFR & WOULD BE STAYING LOW. THE ACFT IMPACTED RAPIDLY UPSLOPING TERRAIN 1 MI NORTH OF INTERSTATE 90 AT 3,950 FT MSL. THE SITE IS LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF A VALLEY THROUGH WHICH I-90 PROCEEDS GENERALLY EASTBOUND. THE APPROXIMATE MINIMUM LATERAL DISTANCE ACROSS THE VALLEY AT THE 4,000 FT LEVEL IS 12,000 FT. THE 1555 PDT WX RECORDED BY THE STAMPEDE PASS WX OBSERVATION FACILITY, LOCATED 15 MIFROM THE ACCIDENT SITE & AT AN ELEVATION OF 3,800 FT, WAS CEILING INDEFINITE OBSCURATION (AT THE SURFACE) & 1/8 MI VISIBILITY IN FOG. THE FLAP HANDLE WAS FOUND TO BE PULLED UP INTO A POSITION OF PARTIAL FLAP EXTENSION.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 27 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,379 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1982; 145 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 10:26 pm
- Destination: 2S5 Waterville WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°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.
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.