Cessna 172 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, May 31, 2001
On May 31, 2001 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8054X, was destroyed in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Anderson Lake Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An undershoot due to the pilot's failure to maintain a proper glide path during a VFR final approach to landing. A factor in the accident was a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2001 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Anderson Lake Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8054X · no longer on the register · serial 17248554
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was planning a full-stop landing at a private airstrip. The gravel runway is 2,200 feet long and 40 feet wide. The final approach path to the runway threshold is over a small pond. The pilot said her first landing approach was too steep, and she did a go-around. On the second approach, about 50 to 100 feet lower than the normal approach path, the airplane encountered a downdraft over the pond, and the pilot added engine power. The airplane continued to descend and touched down on the main landing gear, about 300 feet short of the runway threshold. The nose wheel collapsed when it contacted the ground. The pilot said the cockpit immediately filled with smoke, and she exited the airplane via the right door. The airplane fuselage was consumed by fire.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 27, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,054 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 27, 2000; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PABV Chugiak AK at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 0AK1 Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 2,200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.