Cessna 172 N3835S

Summary

On 1 September 2018 at about 22:10 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N3835S was involved in an accident near Karluk, Alaska, United States. One person was 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

1 September 2018 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Karluk, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

57.9972, -154.9964

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N3835S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

King Salmon → Karluk

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA526

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain proper pitch for a soft-field landing, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing on a beach, as he "relaxed" the back pressure on the yoke, the airplane ground looped, the right wing struck the ground, and then the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that, after examining the tracks in the sand, it was obvious that he had failed to hold back pressure on the yoke during the landing roll to maintain a proper soft-field technique.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.