Cessna 172 accident near Yakutat, Alaska, July 8, 2004
On July 8, 2004 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N172JL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yakutat, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area, which resulted in the collapse of the landing gear, and subsequent nose over during the landing roll. A factor associated with the accident was soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2004 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Yakutat, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N172JL · registry record · serial 17257724
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot with three passengers, was landing on a remote sand-covered beach site. The pilot reported that before the accident landing, he did a touch-and-go-landing to check the sand condition. After the successful touch-and-go landing on the beach, he landed to the southeast. During the landing roll, the tires encountered soft sand, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane subsequently nosed over, and received structural damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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: 125 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,777 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YAK Yakutat AK at 2:50 pm
- Destination: Yakutat AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from YAK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.