Cessna 172PII accident near Brinnon, Washington, September 21, 1985
On September 21, 1985 at about 3:28 am local time, a Cessna 172PII, registered N51698, was destroyed in an accident near Brinnon, Washington. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- September 21, 1985 · about 3:28 am local time
- Place
- Brinnon, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172PII · all 172PIIs on the register
- Registration
- N51698 · no longer on the register · serial 17274337
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT COLLIDED WITH VERTICAL ROCK FACE IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN 32 MINS AFTER TAKEOFF ON NIGHT VFR INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTION FLT, 31 MI WEST OF POINT OF DEPARTURE. RADAR TRK SHOWS ACFT PROCEEDED NW FOR 14 MINS, REVERSED COURSE FOR 4 MINS, THEN HEADED DUE WEST INTO MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. ELEV OF THE CRASH SITE WAS 3700 FT. CLOUD BASES IN THE AREA (SEA LEVEL) WERE REPORTED TO BE 3000 TO 4000 FT WITH 8 MILES VIS, SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS AND HAZE. A MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM REPORTED ON-SITE CONDITION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED COLLISION OCCURRED WITH THE ACFT IN LEVEL CRUISE FLT. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYEDBY IMPACT FORCES AND POST-IMPACT FIRE EXCEPT FOR THE OUTER WING PANELS AND EMPENNAGE. THE ACFT WAS NOT DME EQUIPPED AND AN INSTRUMENT TRAINING HOOD WAS ON BOARD.
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: 360 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 225 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,361 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 1985; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 3:56 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft; not recorded at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 am from SEA, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N51698 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.