Cessna 177RG accident near Wasilla, Alaska, June 24, 2007
On June 24, 2007 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N52103, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Wasilla airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to adequately supervise the private pilot (dual student), and his delayed go-around during approach to land. Contributing to the accident was the dual student's misjudged distance/altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2007 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Wasilla · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N52103 · no longer on the register · serial 177RG-1171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was giving commercial flight instruction to a private pilot in preparation for the commercial flight test when the airplane collided with terrain at an unattended, public airport. The airplane's left wingtip and left main landing gear impacted the ground on the north side of the runway, short of the threshold, as indicated by ground scars containing fragments of the left navigation light, and parts from the left main landing gear. The airplane became airborne again for about 120 feet, leaving no ground scar, and impacted terrain in a near vertical descent, with enough forward motion to fold the engine under the fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright, with the engine intruding into the forward portion of the passenger cabin from underneath, significantly distorting the cabin area, and decreasing survivable space. The landing light and fuel boost pump switches were in the on position, and the landing gear was extended, as in preparation for landing. However, the propeller, mixture, and throttle controls were forward, and the flap handle was up, as if initiating a go-around. The propeller showed signs of high power during impact. An examination of the engine and airframe disclosed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. The position of the airplane and ground scars, as well as the throttle and flap settings, are consistent with a low altitude, delayed attempt to reject the landing and go-around.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 487 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 151 in the last 90 days; 367 as pilot in command; 172 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 664 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 604 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,737 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIR Merril Field AK at 11:45 am
- Destination: PAWS Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 2:36 pm from PAWS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N52103 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.