Cessna 177B accident near Friday Harbor, Washington, January 9, 1990
On January 9, 1990 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N35000, was substantially damaged in an accident near Friday Harbor, Washington (Crane Island airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT OR GO-AROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT CONCERNED THE RUNWAY CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1990 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Friday Harbor, Washington · Crane Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N35000 · no longer on the register · serial 17702150
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT WAS LANDING ON A 1270 FT WET/GRASS RWY, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN AT ABOUT MIDFIELD. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CONTINUED OFF THE DEPARTURE END, DAMAGED TWO FENCES & NOSED OVER.
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: 726 hours in all; 263 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 690 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,860 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 1989; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 74S Anacortes WA at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 1,270 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from FHR, 4 miles away
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.