Cessna 172P N9566L

Summary

On 15 June 2003 at about 02:50 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N9566L was involved in an accident near Seattle, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 June 2003 at 02:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Seattle, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.6161, -122.2650

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N9566L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kenmore → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA103

Nobody was injured.

The dual student's failure to maintain aircraft control and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing factors were the crosswind condition and the flight instructor's lack of experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student conducted several takeoffs/landings in the Cessna 172P floatplane into a 9 knot southerly wind and then executed a westbound crosswind approach and landing. The instructor reported that there were no hazardous water conditions, no whitecaps or deep swells at the time. The instructor reported that the student lowered 30 degrees of flaps and established a standard descent attitude and airspeed of 65 knots. Upon touchdown the aircraft made a "strong" contact with water on the upwind float, pitched nose down and then nosed over. The operator's training manual for the 172P floatplane contained procedures and guidance for crosswind landings specifically, final approach speed in a crosswind landing should be 65 knots, with 20 degrees of flaps. The instructor reported a total of 224 hours in the Cessna 172 model aircraft of which slightly more than 6 hours were logged as instructor time (all in the Cessna 172). Additionally, his flight instructor certificate was issued two months prior to the accident. Winds at Boeing Field (six nautical miles south) of the site were reported as 160 degrees magnetic at four knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.