# Incident 20260205000759I: Cessna 172P, Fitchburg, MA, February 5, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 5, 2026, 10:46 local time
- Place: Fitchburg, MA
- Airport: Fitchburg Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.5538° N, 71.7592° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FITCHBURG MUNI (FIT), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5538&lon=-71.7592&mi=10
- Aircraft: N99253, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N99253) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 38 total, 35 in this make and model, 22 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260205000759I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 5 FEBRUARY 2026, AT 1546(Z) THE FAA RECEIVED A PRELIMINARY NOTICE REGARDING AN INCIDENT INVOLVING A C172 LANDING AND VEERING OFF RUNWAY 32 INTO A SNOWBANK AFTER LANDING, 1 PERSON ON BOARD, INJURIES NONE. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE INCIDENT SCENE AT FITCHBURG AIRPORT, (FIT) FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS AT 1414PM LOCAL TIME ON 5 FEBRUARY TO REVIEW THE INCIDENT AREA AND DISCUSS THE INCIDENT WITH KEY PERSONNEL.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED ON THE RAMP, BEING TOWED THERE AFTER COORDINATION WITH THE AIRPORT MANAGER. A CURSORY EXAMINATION OF AIRCRAFT BY THE INSPECTOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC) WAS CONDUCTED AT THIS TIME AND SHOWED THE ENGINE LOWER LEFT- HAND COWL TO HAVE A SHALLOW DENT AND CREASE, PROBABLY FROM A SNOWBANK IMPACT. NO OTHER OBVIOUS DAMAGE WAS NOTED AT THIS TIME.

THE AIRCRAFT HAD LANDED ON RUNWAY 32, AND PARALLEL SKID MARKS WERE NOTED ON RUNWAY, WITH THE LEFT-HAND SKID MARK INTERMITTENT, LEADING TO AND TERMINATING WHERE THE AIRCRAFT HAD COME TO A REST AT THE INCIDENT SITE ON THE LH OF THE RUNWAY, AT APPROXIMATLY 300 DEGREE HEADING, JUST NORTHWEST OF THE 1000’ MARKER.

MAINTENANCE LOG ENTRIES REVIEWED AT THE TIME OF THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY IRREGULARITIES. MAINTENANCE ENTRY AND STATEMENTS OF PERSONNEL WHO INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT POST-INCIDENT DID NOT FIND ANY ABNORMALITIES WITH ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS.

THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES NOTED ON THE PRE-FLIGHT WALK AROUND OR PREVIOUS FLIGHT. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT UPON LANDING, “THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO GO TO THE LEFT, THEY APPLIED RUDDER FIRST, THEN GRADUAL BRAKES, PULLED POWER AND APPLIED BRAKES HARDER, SKIDDING TO A STOP”.

REPORTED METAR WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE WAS KFIT 051552Z AUTO 29008KT 10SM CLR M03/M12 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP174 T10331117

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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