Cessna 172N accident near Laurier, Washington, October 17, 2021
On October 17, 2021 at about 10:55 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 172N, registered N832DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Laurier, Washington (Avey Fld airport). 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 flight instructor’s delayed remedial action to prevent the airplane from landing long which, resulted in a runway overrun and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2021 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Laurier, Washington · Avey Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1979 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N832DC · registry record · serial 17271180
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, the student pilot was making the landing to the 1,975 ft gravel runway and landed about midpoint. The flight instructor came on the flight controls and applied brakes, but the airplane’s left wing impacted terrain and vegetation before the airplane came to rest, about 100 ft beyond the departure end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and wing root. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 27, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 16.2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 400 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEW Deer Park WA at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17/3, 1,975 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Observation at 4:00 pm from CWYY, 48 miles away
Weather report (METAR): CWYY 172300Z AUTO 18004KT 19/04 RMK AO1 SLP023 T01920039 56014
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 20, 2022. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Form 6120_1 Complete Pilot Narrative | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Pilot Operating Handbook Excerpts | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
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.