Cessna 172R accident near Birchwood, Alaska, September 18, 2021
On September 18, 2021 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 2001 Cessna 172R, registered N35408, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Birchwood, Alaska (Birchwood airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot, and student pilot’s improper landing flare, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2021 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Birchwood, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R, built 2001 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N35408 · registry record · serial 17281081
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, the student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings at the time of the accident. He reported that the student pilot completed 4 takeoffs and landings with the tendency to initiate the landing flare “a little early” and the airplane “came down a little harder” than expected. On the following landing, the instructor decided to tell the student when to start the landing flare. The approach was stabilized, but when he instructed the student to begin to flare, the student “pulled back on the yoke hard” which he had not done before. The airplane pitched “way up” and started to drift off the runway. The flight instructor assumed control, but the airplane “landed extremely hard.” The student pilot noted that he pulled back on the control wheel “too quickly and too hard.” They taxied off the runway to inspect the airplane. Observing no obvious damage, they returned to their home airport with no further difficulties. He subsequently reported the event to the flight club chief pilot and mechanic. Neither pilot reported any anomalies with respect to the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the lower fuselage aft of the nose landing gear.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 376 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 263 as pilot in command; 32 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 25, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 12 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,310 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 23, 2021; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 872 hours total
- Operator: Elmendorf Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: PAED Jber AK at 9:30 pm
- Destination: PABV Birchwood AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20R, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.61 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from PABV, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on November 12, 2021. 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 |
| 2 | Flight Instructor Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Student Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Airplane Photos | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N35408 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.