- Date
- February 9, 1990, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sunapee Lake, NH
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N65057Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900209002969A
- Case key
- 36612
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate altitude above the lake, which resulted in unplanned contact with its frozen surface.
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 and two passengers were on a local flight when the pilot inadvertently allowed the aircraft to make contact with the surface of a frozen lake. The aircraft then cartwheeled and was substantially damagee. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot said he lost his depth perception.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65057
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275677
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ferns Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CON · Concord, NH
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 103 in this make and model · 230 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point -0 °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 N65057 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.