Cessna 175 accident near Port Townsend, Washington, February 26, 1998
On February 26, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N7620M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Townsend, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudged distance and speed during landing. A factor was the wet grass runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Townsend, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N7620M · no longer on the register · serial 55920
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a landing on a damp 1700-foot grass runway, the pilot overran the runway, hit a ditch, bounced over a road, and ended up in a ditch on the other side of the road.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 900 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,936 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1997; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO300C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S30 Lebanon OR at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34, 1,700 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KNU, 17 miles away
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.