Cessna 172M accident near Bellingham, Washington, March 6, 1991
On March 6, 1991 at about 3:31 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered CGJNM, was destroyed in an accident near Bellingham, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE AND/OR CLEAREANCE FROM THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1991 · about 3:31 am local time
- Place
- Bellingham, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- CGJNM · no longer on the register · serial 17273478
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS 1 OF 5 THAT WERE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM LOS ANGELES, CA, TO ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. THE FLT CREWS HAD OBTAINED WX INFO DURING STOPS AT CRESENT CITY, CA, & NEWPORT, OR. AFTER LNDG AT EVERETT, WA, ONE OF THE FLT CREWS FILED A FLT PLAN FOR ALL 5 ACFT. AT THAT TIME, HE WAS ASKED IF HE WANTED A WX BRIEFING, BUT HE INDCD THEY HAD ALREADY RCVD A BRIEF FOR THE ROUTE. RPRTDLY, THE PLTS ALSO OBTAINED WX INFO FROM A COMPUTER IN THE LOBBY OF AN FBO AT EVERETT. AFTER DEPG EVERETT ON A NGT FLT TO ABBOTSFORD, THE FLTS ENCTRD DETERIORATING WX WITH SNOW & CLOUDS. THE FLT CREWS OF 2 ACFT REVERSED COURSE & LNDD AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT. THE CREW OF A 3RD ACFT DIVERTED, WENT OVER WATER, THEN CONTD EN ROUTE. HOWEVER, THE 2 REMAINING ACFT (C-GJNM & C-GIXI) COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TRRN ABT 3 MI APART. C-GJNM IMPACTED ON WOODED TRRN AT AN ELEV OF ABT 2100'. ABT 11 MI NW AT BELLINGHAM, WA (ELEV 158'), THE 1950 WX WAS IN PART: 2100' BKN, 10 MI VIS WITH RAIN, WIND FM 240 DEG AT 6 KTS. THE WRECKAGE WAS FND THE NEXT DAY CVRD WITH SNOW.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,214 hours in all; 896 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 993 as pilot in command; 640 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2AJ (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trinity Western University
The flight
- Departed from: PAE Everett WA at 3:08 am
- Destination: CYXX Abbotsford,Bc
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from BLI, 11 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.
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.