Cessna 172 accident near Naknek, Alaska, October 23, 2005
On October 23, 2005 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6832A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Naknek, Alaska (Naknek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate removal of frost from the wings, and his failure to attain adequate airspeed during takeoff initial climb, which resulted in a stall and collision with terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's delayed aborted takeoff, and an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2005 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Naknek, Alaska · Naknek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6832A · no longer on the register · serial 28932
- 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 was departing uphill from a 1,950 feet long runway on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 local area personal flight. The pilot indicated that prior to departure, the upper wing surfaces of the airplane had a layer of frost, but he smoothed the surface with a broom. During the takeoff roll, the pilot said the airplane became airborne in ground effect to an altitude of about 2 feet, about 300 feet before the end of the runway. The airplane stalled and collided with alder bushes about 75 feet beyond the end of the runway. The airplane received damage to the wings, fuselage, and engine.
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: 480 hours in all; 480 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5NK Naknek AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.