Cessna 172P accident near Anchorage, Alaska, May 8, 2024
On May 8, 2024 at about 1:30 am local time, a 1982 Cessna 172P, registered N65065, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 2024 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P, built 1982 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65065 · registry record · serial 17275681
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he was practicing stop-and-go landings. During the accident landing, just before touchdown, he said he felt the tail of the airplane lift, which pitched the nose of the airplane down. As the airplane touched down, he saw the propeller strike the runway, and then the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A review of archived airport surveillance video captured the airplane as it touchdown on the runway, it then veered to the left at which time the right wing tip strikes the ground. The airplane ground looped and subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted on the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder and both wings. The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,926 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 2024; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.63 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MRI
Weather report (METAR): PAMR 080153Z 20009KT 10SM BKN090 OVC110 11/M01 A2963 RMK AO2 SLP036 T01061006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2025. 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 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 5 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.