Cessna 172 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, December 30, 1988
On December 30, 1988 at about 3:29 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N3752F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was a personal 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 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 30, 1988 · about 3:29 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N3752F · registry record · serial 17255247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE 103 HOUR PRIVATE PILOT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DEMONSTRATING HIS CESSNA 172 CONVENTIONAL GEAR AIRPLANE (TAIL-DRAGGER) TO A PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER, WHEN HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING AND NOSED-OVER. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD JUST TOUCHED DOWN IN A THREE-POINT ATTITUDE ON HIS FIRST TOUCH AND GO LANDING, WHEN THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO GO THE LEFT. HE CORRECTED TO THE RIGHT, AND THOUGHT HE HAD REGAINED CONTROL, WHEN THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY VEERED FURTHER TO THE RIGHT. HE ATTEMPTED TO TAKE OFF, BUT WENT OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND NOSED-OVER AFTER STRIKING A SNOW BANK.
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: 103 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 68 as pilot in command; 34 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,239 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1988; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:28 pm from FSS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3752F 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.