Cessna 172N CGIXI

Summary

On 6 March 1991 at about 03:30 local time, a Cessna 172N registered CGIXI, operated by Trinity Western University, was involved in an accident near Bellingham, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 March 1991 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bellingham, Washington, United States

Coordinates

48.7300, -122.4792

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

CGIXI

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Trinity Western University

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Everett → Abbotsford, Bc

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

SEA91FA060

3 people died.

VFR FLIGHT BY THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE AND/OR CLEARANCE FROM THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT WAS 1 OF 5 THAT WERE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM LOS ANGELES, CA, TO ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. THE FLT CREWS HAD OBTAINED WX INFO DURING STOPS AT CRESENT CITY, CA, & NEWPORT, OR. AFTER LNDG AT EVERETT, WA, ONE OF THE FLT CREWS FILED A FLT PLAN FOR ALL 5 ACFT. AT THAT TIME, HE WAS ASKED IF HE WANTED A WX BRIEFING, BUT HE INDCD THEY HAD ALREADY RCVD A BRIEF FOR THE ROUTE. RPRTDLY, THE PLTS ALSO OBTAINED WX INFO FROM A COMPUTER IN THE LOBBY OF AN FBO AT EVERETT. AFTER DEPG EVERETT ON A NGT FLT TO ABBOTSFORD, THE FLTS ENCTRD DETERIORATING WX WITH SNOW & CLOUDS. THE FLT CREWS OF 2 ACFT REVERSED COURSE & LNDD AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT. THE CREW OF A 3RD ACFT DIVERTED, WENT OVER WATER, THEN CONTD EN ROUTE. HOWEVER, THE 2 REMAINING ACFT (C-GIXI & C-GJNM) COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TRRN ABT 3 MI APART. C-GIXI IMPACTED ON ROUGH ROCKY TRRN AT AN ELEV OF ABT 1200'. ABT 8 MI NW AT BELLINGHAM, WA (ELEV 158'), THE 1950 WX WAS IN PART: 2100' BKN, 10 MI VIS WITH RAIN, WIND FM 240 DEG AT 6 KTS. THE WRECKAGE WAS FND THE NEXT DAY CVRD WITH SNOW.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.