- Date
- April 12, 1991, 20:15 local (Apr 13, 1991, 04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Cantwell, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3031UCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910412010229A
- Case key
- 5538
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 in command's poor preflight planning/preparation. A factor in the accident was the snow covered runway.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot received a weather briefing from the palmer flight service station and requested information on any NOTAMS for the Cantwell airport. The flight service station specialist called for a collective report which automatically does not include any NOTAM information. The flight service specialist stated there were no NOTAMS showing on the computer screen, however, she cautioned the pilot about the poor conditions of runways during 'breakup' and she read the caution listed in the Alaska supplement under airport remarks. The pilot landed at Cantwell and the airplane nosed over on the runway. The runway had been maintained for the use of ski equipped airplanes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3031U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17250631
- Airframe hours
- 2,280
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas E. Williams
- Registered owner
- Thomas E. Williams
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1991 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- PAQ · Palmer, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- Z68 · Cantwell, runway 4, 2,100 × 50 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 446 total · 347 in this make and model · 446 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F
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 N3031U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.