Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172 near Anacortes, WA — 2025-09-22

Investigation ongoingWPR25LA307
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Date
2025-09-22
Location
Anacortes, WA, USA
Airport
74S
Aircraft
CESSNA 172
Registration
N6831A
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On September 22, 2025, about 1157 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172, N6831A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Anacortes, Washington. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he intended to fly the airplane from Anacortes Airport (74S), Anacortes, Washington, to Friday Harbor Airport (FHR), Friday Harbor, Washington. The engine run up was normal, and the pilot departed runway 36. As the airplane was about 400 ft mean sea level (msl), as it crossed the shoreline, the engine began to sputter and subsequently lost all power. The pilot lowered the airplane’s nose to maintain its best glide airspeed and saw that a parking lot west of his position was full of vehicles, and he began a right turn. He stated that he was unable to complete a 180° turn to return to the runway and flew over the water as he attempted to restart the engine. The pilot verified that the fuel selector was positioned on both, the mixture was rich, cycled the throttle and carburetor heat control knobs, and tried both left and right magentos; all with no response from the engine. Subsequently, the pilot initiated a water ditching near the mouth of the Guemes Channel, about 1.5 miles northeast of 74S. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to both wings. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (total) · Takeoff
  • Loss of Thrust on Takeoff
View NTSB preliminary report

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