Cessna 172M accident near Kapowsin, Washington, May 8, 1993
On May 8, 1993 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9534H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kapowsin, Washington (Kapowsin airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN UNDETERMINED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 1993 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Kapowsin, Washington · Kapowsin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9534H · registry record · serial 17266208
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE END OF A CROSS COUNTRY PLEASURE FLIGHT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING, THE ENGINE QUIT. A LANDING ON THE RUNWAY WAS NOT POSSIBLE; THEREFORE, THE PILOT INITIATED AN EMERGENCY LANDING TO AN OPEN FIELD, SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. DURING THE POST CRASH INVESTIGATION, THE ENGINE WAS PREPARED FOR A TEST RUN. THE ENGINE STARTED IMMEDIATELY AND WAS RUN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES WITH NO NOTED 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: 61 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 34 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,520 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1993; 18 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: BFI Seattle WA at 9:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA93LA103.