Cessna 172I accident near Chugiak, Alaska, December 10, 1988
On December 10, 1988 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172I, registered N8319L, was substantially damaged in an accident 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 10, 1988 · about 5:30 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 172I · all 172Is on the register
- Registration
- N8319L · registry record · serial 17256519
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LOST CONTROL, SKIDDED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WET ICY RUNWAY, AND NOSED OVER IN A SNOWBANK DURING THE LANDING PHASE OF AN ATTEMPTED TOUCH AND GO LANDING. HE STATED THAT WHILE ON DOWNWIND, HE SAW THE WIND SOCK INDICATE A CHANGE OF WIND DIRECTION, BUT DECIDED TO LAND WITH THE TAILWIND SINCE A CESSNA 152 HAD JUST SUCCESSFULLY DONE SO. VARIABLE, GUSTY WINDS, AND TURBULENCE HAD BEEN FORECAST, BUT THE 53 HOUR PRIVATE PILOT FAILED TO HEED A RECOMMENDATION NOT TO FLY.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 53 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 28, 1988; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.