Cessna 172 N817PS

Summary

On 6 February 2020 at about 21:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N817PS was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. 3 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.

Date

6 February 2020 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.4103, -148.0867

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N817PS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20CA018

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from snow-covered terrain while maneuvering at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, while conducting a low-altitude pass over a frozen, snow-covered lake in his wheel-equipped airplane, he misjudged the airplane's height above the lake. The landing gear contacted snow, and subsequently, the left wing and propeller struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest upright. The left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the accident may have been prevented if he had done a better job of evaluating the flight scenario and had properly addressed the risks involved with low-level flight over a snow-covered landscape, including the importance of recognizing visual illusions and depth perception issues associated with those conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.