Cessna 172 accident near Lopez Island, Washington, March 19, 1987
On March 19, 1987 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N64728, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lopez Island, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- March 19, 1987 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lopez Island, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N64728 · registry record · serial 17275612
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE THE ACFT ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT NEGLECTED TO VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL TANKS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, BUT RATHER RELIED ON FUEL GAUGES AND HIS OWN ESTIMATION THAT ENOUGH FUEL WOULD BE REMAINING TO COMPLETE THE FLIGHT. DURING FORCED LANDING ONTO A FIELD A COW CROSSED THE LANDING AREA. THE PILOT RAISED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT IN ORDER TO AVOID STRIKING THE COW. THE ACFT THEN HIT THE GROUND NOSE FIRST.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,099 hours in all; 492 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 5,780 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,837 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 14, 1987; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 76S Oak Harbor WA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: S19 Friday Harbor WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.