Cessna 152 accident near Ilwaco, Washington, April 26, 1997
On April 26, 1997 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N152TM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ilwaco, Washington (Ilwaco Landing Strip airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to land the aircraft at the proper touchdown point. Factors include inadequate preflight planning/preparation by the student pilot, inadequate supervision by the student pilot's flight instructor, rain, fog, strong crosswinds, a wet runway, and soft terrain off the end of the runway,
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1997 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ilwaco, Washington · Ilwaco Landing Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N152TM · no longer on the register · serial 15279838
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot departed on a solo cross-country flight during which deteriorating weather was forecast along the route. After the first leg of the flight, the pilot rested and did some additional flight planning, and then departed on the return leg. After departing an intermediate stop on the return leg of the flight, the pilot encountered rain, low clouds and high winds. He then elected to return to the airport where he had made the intermediate stop, but upon returning to that area, he found that he was unable to see the airport through the rain and clouds. While trying to fly to another airport, he happened to overfly a 2,000 foot runway, and elected to attempt a landing there. While on final approach to land, the rain, clouds, and crosswinds were significant enough that the pilot was having a hard time seeing the runway. He ultimately touched down past the mid-point of the runway, and the aircraft skidded off the end before he was able to get it stopped. When it departed the runway, the nose gear encountered soft terrain and was torn from the aircraft. It was later determined that the student's instructor did not monitor the preflight weather briefing and that the student did not get an updated weather briefing after his initial departure.
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: student
- Flight time: 41 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,113 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 17, 1997; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HIO Hillsboro OR at 6:05 pm
- Destination: PAE Everett WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.