Cessna R172K accident near Trapper Creek, Alaska, February 17, 2024
On February 17, 2024 at about 3:40 am local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N1258V, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Trapper Creek, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall; loss of airplane control; and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2024 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Trapper Creek, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N1258V · registry record · serial R1722154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after dropping a package while on a low pass, the airplane encountered an aerodynamic stall, contacted brush and trees, and impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest inverted, causing substantial damage to the empennage, elevator, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,204 hours in all; 882 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 10, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,497 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 17, 2023; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO360K1B (piston); 3,497 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AQY Girdwood AK at 3:00 am
- Destination: AQY Girdwood AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PATK, 21 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PATK 170253Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M02/M11 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP146 T10171111 55003 TSNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC24LA015.