- Date
- December 12, 2025, 16:01 local (Dec 13, 2025, 01:01 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK · Sod right of RWY 34
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N20305Cessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20251212018429A
- Case key
- 202156
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings.
Analysis
The student pilot reported that she was returning from a solo cross-country flight. During the landing roll, as she released back pressure on the flight controls, she stated that it felt like the right wheel “caught” and the airplane veered to the right. The student pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder; however, the airplane exited the right side of the runway and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20305
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261176
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 9,259.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BCV · Birchwood, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- PAQ · Palmer Municipal Airport, runway 34, 6,009 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 74 total · 10.6 in this make and model · 6.4 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 9 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- PAAQ
- METAR
- METAR PAAQ 130053Z 00000KT 10SM CLR M13/M16 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP260 T11281156
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.3 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.