- Date
- June 28, 2025, 17:56 local (Jun 29, 2025, 01:56 UTC)
- Place
- Manokotak, AK · Picnic Beach
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8085LCessna 172H
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA -FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250628012509A
- Case key
- 200411
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 decision to land on an unsuitable landing surface with a tailwind, which resulted in a nose over. Contributing was the pilot’s failure to recognize the wind direction, resulting in a tailwind landing.
Findings · 4
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 landing on a beach, the airplane’s nosewheel dug into the soft sand. The airplane subsequently nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and left wing strut. A witness, who was located about 1 mile west of the accident site, reported that the airplane had landed with a tailwind. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8085L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17256285
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 4,329
- Engine
- Continental O300D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 30, 2025 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- DLG · Dillingham, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- NONE · Beach
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- November 19, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 208 total · 123 in this make and model · 143 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.91 inHg
- Observed at
- PAMB, 17 nm away
- METAR
- PAMB 290156Z AUTO 22009G15KT 10SM SCT060 19/11 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP129 T01890111
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.