Cessna 172 accident near Eatonville, Washington, January 12, 1987
On January 12, 1987 at about 8:18 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N1815Y, was destroyed in an accident near Eatonville, Washington (Swanson Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- January 12, 1987 · about 8:18 pm local time
- Place
- Eatonville, Washington · Swanson Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1815Y · no longer on the register · serial 17249415
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON APPROACH TO HOME FIELD AFTER A X-C FLIGHT. DURING FINAL, THE PILOT ELECTED TO GO-AROUND DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND A DOWNDRAFT. THE ACFT STALLED INTO TREES ALONG SIDE THE RUNWAY. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE FLAPS WERE SET AT 40 DEGREES AND CARBURETOR HEAT WAS FULL ON.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 99 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 66 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,453 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1986; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1S0 Puyallup WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 1,970 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°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.