Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / SEA97LA175

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event SEA97LA175

1997-07-21 STEHEKIN, Washington, United States Airport · 6S9 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's misreading of the windsock and subsequent downwind landing. Factors in the accident were the sunglare and tailwind.

Factual narrative

On July 21, 1997, approximately 1900 Pacific Daylight time, a Cessna T210H, N6922R, being flown by an airline transport pilot ran off the end of the runway at Stehekin, Washington and nosed over. The aircraft received substantial damage. The pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The flight, which was personal, had departed Seattle, Washington approximately 1820 for the flight to Stehekin. The pilot stated that as he was approaching the field, the sun was in his face and the airstrip was in shadow. As a result, he misread the wind direction and landed downwind. The airplane overran the end of the runway and was substantially damaged when it nosed over in a soft bog off the end of the runway. During approach to a grass airstrip located in mountainous terrain, the sun was directly in the pilot's face and the windsock was in a shadow. The pilot misread the windsock and landed downwind. The airplane overran the runway and nosed over in a soft bog at the end of the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1997_SEA97LA175.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.