Cessna 172 accident near Kasilof, Alaska, November 27, 1995
On November 27, 1995 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4231F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kasilof, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent liftoff, and an inoperative elevator that became jammed due to frozen slush/snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 1995 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kasilof, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4231F · registry record · serial 46131
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was attempting to takeoff from a frozen lake after he had attempted a touch and go on the lake's surface to test its suitability for landing. The airplane touched down in crusty snow and water and the airplane bogged down. The pilot said he was able to taxi to a better part of the lake to attempt to takeoff. Prior to his takeoff attempt, he was packing snow with the airplane by making several high speed taxi runs across his intended takeoff area. On the last taxi run prior to his intended takeoff attempt, the airplane inadvertently became airborne when he lifted the nosewheel to pass over a wet spot. The pilot tried to push the nose down, but the airplane's elevator was frozen by accumulated snow and slush. The pilot reduced engine power, and the airplane collided with the lake.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,017 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 927 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,324 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 21, 1995; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 5KS AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°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.