Cessna 172 accident near Deer Park, Washington, July 13, 2018
On July 13, 2018 at about 5:21 pm local time, a 2000 Cessna 172, registered N24442, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Deer Park, Washington. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight breakup as a result of the airplane exceeding the structural strength of the airplane during a rapid descent that the flight instructor was unable to recover from following a collision with a large bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2018 · about 5:21 pm local time
- Place
- Deer Park, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 R, built 2000 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N24442 · no longer on the register · serial 17280862
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was for the student pilot to make his first flight in his training program, with the flight instructor and an observer also onboard the airplane. There were no aggressive maneuvers planned during the flight. Radar data indicated that, following departure, the airplane flew about 25 minutes making a series of benign turns. With the airplane maneuvering in a level attitude, configured at 77 kts (ground speed), it suddenly made a sharp 90° right turn and rapidly descended; the last speed recorded was 117 kts. The airplane was in a steep dive as it approached the accident site and just before impact, the outboard wings broke off the airplane about the same time. Postaccident examinations revealed no anomalies with the airplane. Flight control system continuity could not be definitively confirmed due to the fragmentation of the wreckage, but the fractured control cables all showed signatures consistent with overload. Numerous pieces of the windscreen and swabs of the airframe were sent to the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Lab. Found within the samples were a partial feather and the microscopic downy feather characters, which were consistent with an American white pelican, which has an average weight of 7.7 kg. There were many observations of American white pelicans reported near the area around the date of the accident. The airplane manufacturer’s recommended maneuvering speed was about 97 kts and abrupt control movements above that speed could impose excessive loads beyond the structural strength of the airplane. The airplane likely collided with an American white pelican resulting in a rapid descent that the flight instructor was unable to recover from before the airplane exceeded the manufacturer’s recommended maneuvering speed, which led to the exceedance of the airplane's structural strength capability and breaking up in-flight.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during maneuvering
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering
- Birdstrike during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Flight surfaces (wing) › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Capability exceeded
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,054 hours in all; 502 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 815 as pilot in command; 614 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,755 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 1, 2018; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 2,709 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFF Spokane WA at 4:55 pm
- Destination: SFF Spokane WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KSFF, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
22 documents, released by the NTSB on December 3, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.