Cessna 172P accident near Enumclaw, Washington, May 29, 1993
On May 29, 1993 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53408, was destroyed in an accident near Enumclaw, 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
INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FOG AND RAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1993 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Enumclaw, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53408 · no longer on the register · serial 17274746
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A 2,400 FOOT MOUNTAIN AT THE 2,200 FOOT LEVEL IN IMC. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH LIGHTNING AND RAINSHOWERS WERE REPORTED IN THE AREA. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT VISIBILITY WAS POOR WITH THICK FOG IN THE AREA THAT OBSCURED THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. DURING THE POST CRASH INVESTIGATION, NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO INDICATE A MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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: 106 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 59 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,904 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 3, 1993; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 1:00 am
- Destination: S07 Bend OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:38 am from SEA, 23 miles away
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.