Cessna 172P accident near Cashmere, Washington, February 16, 1996
On February 16, 1996 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52264, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cashmere, Washington (Cashmere-Dryden airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's selection of the wrong runway for landing, by not observing a procedure to land uphill during calm wind conditions, and his subsequent failure to retract the flaps during landing roll, as recommended by the airplane's short-field landing procedure. The downhill slope of the landing runway was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1996 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cashmere, Washington · Cashmere-Dryden · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52264 · no longer on the register · serial 17274468
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot diverted from his original destination due to weather conditions at the destination airport. The runway at the selected alternate was 1,800 feet long with a 1.3 percent down grade from west to east. Winds at the time were calm. The pilot did not follow the landing procedure specified in an onboard airport guide, directing landings uphill to the west in calm winds; instead, he initiated a landing downhill to the east. The airplane's pilot operating handbook (POH) indicated a 530-foot short-field landing ground roll on a level field under conditions of gross weight, pressure, and temperature approximating those of the accident flight; total distance to land after clearing a 50 foot obstacle was about 1265 feet. Subsequently, the airplane ran off the east end of the runway, encountered snow, and nosed over despite heavy braking attempts by the pilot. During a postaccident examination, the flaps were found in an extended position. The POH stated that during a short-field landing, flaps should be retracted during the landing roll for maximum braking effectiveness.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,460 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,370 as pilot in command; 475 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,931 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1996; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: EAT Wenatchee WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 7, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.