Cessna 172 N9522S

Summary

On 16 November 2006 at about 22:20 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N9522S was involved in an incident near Seattle, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 November 2006 at 22:20

Classification

Incident

Location

Seattle, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Boeing Field/King County Int. (KBFI)

Coordinates

47.5872, -122.3333

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N9522S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Seattle → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07IA019

Nobody was injured.

The instructor pilot's improper in-flight decision not to take evasive action as a heavy aircraft passed by while on an upwind parallel approach path to an adjacent runway, leading to a wake vortices encounter. Factors include a nearly direct crosswind blowing from the heavy aircraft toward the incident aircraft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on a VFR straight-in approach in a Cessna 172, the flight instructor and her student were advised by the tower that a heavy Boeing 747, which was behind and above the 172, was executing a visual approach to an upwind parallel runway. Although the 747 crew did not have the 172 in sight, the flight instructor in the 172 spotted the 747 soon after being advised of its presence by the tower. The instructor maintained visual contact with the descending 747, and as the 747 neared a point where it would pass the 172, the instructor elected to continue the VFR approach at about the same altitude and on the same course as before. The instructor then watched as the still-descending 747 passed upwind of the 172 at a slightly higher altitude than the 172 was at. When the 747 reached a point about one-quarter mile in front of the 172, the 172 encountered the wake vortices from the 747, and immediately departed controlled flight. Recovery was completed about 150 feet above the terrain. At the time that the 747 passed the 172, the instructor was aware that there was a nine knot wind blowing almost directly across the parallel flight paths of the two aircraft, and although the instructor had requested a low approach at the runway, the instructor did not take evasive action when the 747 passed the 172 while on approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.