Cessna 172K accident near Atqasuk, Alaska, September 15, 2012
On September 15, 2012 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N84549, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Atqasuk, Alaska. 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while performing a high-speed taxi in windy conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2012 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Atqasuk, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N84549 · no longer on the register · serial 17258518
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that during a high-speed taxi, the wind pushed the airplane sideways into a shallow riverbed, and it nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 taxi defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
- Nose over/nose down during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,925 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 2012; 45 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABR Barrow AK at 1:00 am
- Destination: PABR Barrow AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,500 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from PABR, 140 miles away
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.