Cessna 172 accident near Chugiak, Alaska, May 10, 2008
On May 10, 2008 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7598T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Chugiak, Alaska (Birchwood 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
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was an inadvertent ground loop/swerve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2008 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · Birchwood · 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
- N7598T · registry record · serial 47198
- 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 landing a tailwheel and tundra tire-equipped airplane on an asphalt runway which was about 4,010 feet long and about 100 feet wide. During the landing roll, the pilot reported that the airplane began to veer to the left. He applied full right rudder and added engine power to abort the landing, but the airplane continued to veer to the left. The pilot reduced engine power to idle, but the airplane ground looped, and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane received structural damage to the right wing spar, aileron, and flap, and the right main landing gear separated from the fuselage. The pilot reported that the airplane did not have a mechanical malfunction.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 122 hours in all; 113 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAMR Anchorage AK
- Destination: PABV Chugiak AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19R, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.68 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from PABV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.