Cessna 172 accident near Palmer, Alaska, February 6, 2020
On February 6, 2020 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1965 Cessna 172, registered N817PS, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Palmer, 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 clearance from snow-covered terrain while maneuvering at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 2020 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 F, built 1965 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N817PS · registry record · serial 17252705
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while conducting a low-altitude pass over a frozen, snow-covered lake in his wheel-equipped airplane, he misjudged the airplane's height above the lake. The landing gear contacted snow, and subsequently, the left wing and propeller struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest upright. The left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the accident may have been prevented if he had done a better job of evaluating the flight scenario and had properly addressed the risks involved with low-level flight over a snow-covered landscape, including the importance of recognizing visual illusions and depth perception issues associated with those conditions.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Snow/ice › Effect on personnel
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Visual illusion/disorientation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 714 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 619 as pilot in command; 251 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 3, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 28, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 3:00 pm
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.