Cessna 172M accident near Gig Harbor, Washington, December 13, 2024
On December 13, 2024 at about 8:09 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna 172M, registered N6750H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Gig Harbor, Washington (Tacoma Narrows Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 2024 · about 8:09 pm local time
- Place
- Gig Harbor, Washington · Tacoma Narrows Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M, built 1975 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6750H · registry record · serial 17265566
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he had been performing touch-and-goes and had landed left of the runway centerline. When he advanced the throttle, the aircraft “immediately pulled hard left due to its left-turning tendency,” and exited the left side of the runway. The student pilot attempted to continue the takeoff in an effort to overfly a sign, however the airplane’s landing gear impacted the top of the sign. The airplane then settled back onto terrain next to the runway, and the nose gear collapsed. As a result, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking off on runway 17 with wind 060° at 4 knots. The student 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,498.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 10, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: TIW Gig Harbor WA at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.68 inHg
- Observation at 12:16 pm from KTIW
Weather report (METAR): KTIW 132016Z 06004KT 8SM -RA BKN046 OVC050 08/06 A2968 RMK AO2 P0001 T00780056
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – The Runway Sign (NTSB Photo)
Photograph 2 – View of the Airplane from the Right (NTSB Photo)
Photograph 3 – View of substantial damage to lower forward fuselage.
Photograph 4 – View of substantial damage to lower forward fuselage.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 22, 2025. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N6750H 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.