Cessna 172 accident near Healy, Alaska, August 30, 2006
On August 30, 2006 at about 4:45 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5375R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Healy, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance while maneuvering, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain. Factors associated with the accident were rising terrain, and the pilot's low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2006 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Healy, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5375R · registry record · serial 17263527
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight with two passengers in an area of mountainous terrain. He reported that while maneuvering in an area of rising terrain, he realized that he was too low, and initiated a climb. Unable to out-climb the rising terrain, he selected a forced landing site. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. In his written report to the NTSB, the pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, but noted that carburetor icing may have been present at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that weather conditions at the time of the accident were, in part: Wind, 180 degrees at 10 knots; visibility, greater than 50 miles; ceiling and cloud conditions, clear; and temperature, 50 degrees F.
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: 83 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HVI Healy AK at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
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 | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N5375R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.