Cessna 172 N52168
10 March 2020 · Big Lake, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 March 2020 at about 04:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N52168, operated by Flight Safety Alaska Inc, was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 04:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Big Lake, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Big Lake (BGQ)
- Coordinates
- 61.5347, -149.8125
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N52168
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1979
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Flight Safety Alaska Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Big Lake → Anchorage
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- ANC20CA032
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to initiate the takeoff roll from a snow-covered taxiway, which resulted in a loss of directional control, runway excursion, and impact with a snow berm.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he was attempting to take off from a snow-covered runway and that, during the first attempt, the airplane failed to generate enough airspeed, so he aborted the takeoff and exited the runway. On his second attempt, he chose to begin the takeoff roll with a high-speed taxi on a taxiway before turning 90° to enter the runway. Just before entering the runway, the airplane hit a dip in the taxiway, and the airplane veered left and impacted a snow berm, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported several ways that the accident could have been prevented, including parking the airplane and waiting for a snowplow to clear the runway. In addition, he indicated that he was fatigued and that his judgment and decision-making abilities were compromised.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 2020 | Cessna 172 | Higginsville, Missouri, United States | University of Central Missouri | No injuries | - |
| 6 Feb 2020 | Cessna 172 | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 May 2020 | Cessna 172 | Fresno, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 2020 | Cessna 172 | Conway, Arkansas, United States | Barrett Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 2020 | Cessna 172 | Hinckley, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 2020 | Cessna 172R | Hope, Alaska, United States | Elmendorf Air Force Base Aero Club | Minor injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Aug 2020 | Piper PA 20 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 2020 | Cessna 208 | Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States | Grant Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 2020 | Piper PA31 | Buckland, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 2020 | Grumman G44 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2020 | Beechcraft A36 | Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States | Lake Clark Air, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 2020 | CubCrafters CCK-1865 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |