Cessna 172 accident near Juneau, Alaska, November 12, 2013
On November 12, 2013 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1958 Cessna 172, registered N709SB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Juneau, Alaska. 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 decision to land on an unsuitable surface, which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 2013 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 UNDESIGNAT, built 1958 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N709SB · no longer on the register · serial 46020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane on a soft tidal beach. He reported that he had landed the day before at the same location without incident. During the landing roll, the landing gear contacted an area of soft sand, and the airplane nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and left lift strut. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented if he had a better knowledge and understanding of landing conditions on tidal beaches.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,301 hours in all; 1,550 in this make and model; 850 in the last 90 days; 400 in the last 30 days; 11,500 as pilot in command; 4,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 5,570 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Juneau AK at 4:50 pm
- Destination: Juneau AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.