Cessna T210H accident near Stehekin, Washington, July 22, 1997
On July 22, 1997 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna T210H, registered N6922R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stehekin, Washington (Stehekin State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misreading of the windsock and subsequent downwind landing. Factors in the accident were the sunglare and tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1997 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Stehekin, Washington · Stehekin State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210H · all T210Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6922R · no longer on the register · serial T210-0322
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During approach to a grass airstrip located in mountainous terrain, the sun was directly in the pilot's face and the windsock was in a shadow. The pilot misread the windsock and landed downwind. The airplane overran the runway and nosed over in a soft bog at the end of the runway.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,814 hours in all; 4,955 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,057 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 13, 1996; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 1:20 am
- Destination: 6S9
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,630 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.