Cessna 172F accident near Lake Louise, Alaska, July 21, 1990
On July 21, 1990 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N7866U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Louise, Alaska. 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS A CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1990 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Lake Louise, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7866U · no longer on the register · serial 17251866
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TOUCHDOWN ON THE GRAVEL ROAD, THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO STRIKE A ROAD SIGN.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: gyroplane; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Anchorage AK at 11:30 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
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.
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.