- Date
- March 10, 2025, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cantwell, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5375RCessna 172
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250310002359A
- Case key
- 199837
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude during a low-altitude maneuver which resulted in inadvertent ground contact and a nose over.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, while flying at low altitude above a remote snow-covered airstrip, he inadvertently descended, and the accident airplane’s nose wheel contacted the snow. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5375R
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17263527
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 10,562
- Engine
- Penn Yann Aero O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Arctic Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Arctic Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2025 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- TKA · Talkeetna, AK
- Airport
- UMM · Summit, runway 21, 3,814 × 80 ft, snow
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 18, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 434 total · 322 in this make and model · 370 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.30 inHg
- Observed at
- PAIN, 25 nm away
- METAR
- PAIN 101956Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M05/M11 A2930 RMK AO2 SLP955 T10501106 FZRANO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 13, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5375R · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.