Cessna 172RG accident near Monroe, Washington, September 23, 1997
On September 23, 1997 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N64ML, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monroe, Washington (Firstair Field). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the flight instructor to adequately perform remedial action, and her failure to abort the takeoff. Factors contributing to the accident include the premature rotation of the airplane by the dual student, the failure of the dual student to maintain adequate airspeed and directional control during the takeoff, and a congested runway area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1997 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Monroe, Washington · Firstair Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N64ML · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0081
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) was giving instruction on short field takeoffs to a commercial pilot (dual student) who was training to be a CFI. The dual student, seated in the right seat, taxied to the runway, selected no flaps, added full power and released the brakes. The airplane prematurely became airborne at 40 knots and the dual student lost directional control. The CFI immediately took control of the airplane. Despite her attempts to maintain directional control and/or increase airspeed, the airplane veered away from the runway while flying about 10 feet above it. The airplane struck another airplane that was parked about 20 feet from the runway's edge. The collision tore the entire right horizontal stabilizer off of the airplane that the CFI was flying. The CFI continued to climb to about 500 feet above the ground, entered the traffic pattern, and landed the airplane safely onto runway 7.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all; 178 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 1,650 as pilot in command; 1,240 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 354 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 1997; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Galvin Flying Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: WA38 at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 2,092 ft by 34 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N64ML the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.