Cessna 172RG accident near Kettle Falls, Washington, August 17, 1987
On August 17, 1987 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9747B, was destroyed in an accident near Kettle Falls, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- August 17, 1987 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Kettle Falls, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9747B · no longer on the register · serial 1010
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT, PLT ENTERED A CANYON INTO RISING TERRAIN, COLLIDING FIRST WITH A TREE AND THEN GROUND NEAR CREST. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ACFT PROBABLY HAD PERFORMANCE TO CLEAR CREST HAD TREE NOT BEEN STRUCK. CIRCUMSTANCES INDICATE PLT MANEUVERED LEFT TOWARD A SADDLE AND PROBABLY LOST SIGHT OF THE TREE CLOSE TO THE LEFT WING. BOTH PLT AND PAX DO NOT RECALL CRASH SEQUENCE, HOWEVER A WITNESS ON THE GROUND OBSERVED THE ACFT TURN NORTH UP A CANYON AND WAS CONCERNED ENOUGH TO FOLLOW IT BY GROUND VEHICLE UP A CANYON ROAD.
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: 114 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 64 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 991 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 1986; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 63S Colville WA at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from GEG, 55 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.