Cessna 172H accident near Chugiak, Alaska, April 10, 2022
On April 10, 2022 at about 9:20 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna 172H, registered N8020L, 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 directional control while landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2022 · about 9:20 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 172H, built 1967 · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8020L · no longer on the register · serial 17256220
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, upon touchdown on the asphalt runway, the airplane veered abruptly to the right. The airplane exited the runway, impacted a snowbank, and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and wings. Examination of the nose landing gear system revealed no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. An examination of the landing surface revealed tire witness marks consistent with the airplane touching down in a left-wing-low attitude and evidence that the right main tire did not contact the ground until after the airplane had departed the runway. Based on the tire witness marks and the lack of preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, the circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
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
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 30, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,879 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 2021; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-320-E2D (piston); 2,930 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAUO Willow AK at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PAMR Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20R, 4,012 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.67 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from PABV
Weather report (METAR): PABV 102156Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 02/M11 A3067 RMK AO2 SLP392 T00171106 FZRANO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 23, 2023. 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 | Photos | PDF, 3 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.