Cessna 172M accident near Oak Harbor, Washington, August 16, 1991
On August 16, 1991 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered CGFTE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oak Harbor, Washington (Oak Harbor airport). It was a personal 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
THE PILOT'S ALLOWING THE AIRSPEED TO DECAY BELOW THE STALL SPEED. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL RECENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1991 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Oak Harbor, Washington · Oak Harbor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- CGFTE · no longer on the register · serial 17266710
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT, WHO LOGGED ONLY 2.5 HOURS IN THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS, CHOSE TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND DURING AN APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY. DURING THE GO-AROUND MANEUVER THE PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO TURN LEFT AND PITCH UP WITH THE APPLICATION OF POWER AND THE AIRESPEED DECELERTED BELOW THE STALL SPEED. THE NOSE UP ELEVATOR TRIM APPLIED DURING THE APPROACH WAS NOT REMOVED DURING THE GO-AROUND MANEUVER. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND ROTATED APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES COUNTERCLOKWISE BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND. INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE WAS AVAILABLE TO ENABLE THE PILOT TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE A FULL RECOVERY BEFORE GROUND IMPACT.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 59 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ 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-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BLI Bellingham WA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: WA22 Elma WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,267 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.