Cessna R172 accident near Lino Lakes, Minnesota, May 20, 2020
On May 20, 2020 at about 2:46 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna R172, registered N612R, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lino Lakes, Minnesota (Surfside airport). 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 loss of directional control during takeoff with a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2020 · about 2:46 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Lino Lakes, Minnesota · Surfside · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172 K, built 1977 · all R172s on the register
- Registration
- N612R · registry record · serial R1722687
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and flight instructor were conducting a local flight in the float equipped airplane from a seaplane base. The pilot stated that there was a crosswind from the southeast and he planned to takeoff to the southwest with a 30° left turn while "on step" to avoid the lake weed bloom in progress. The pilot added that during the takeoff attempt, with the airplane "on step," he made a left turn toward an opening in the weeds, swung around a buoy, then the airplane capsized. A witness reported that during the takeoff, the left float was higher than the right and the right wing dipped down. The pilot reported to the responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector that the centrifugal force acting on the airplane and the left crosswind allowed the left wing to lift and the right float sunk into the water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine mount. There were no reported mechanical malfunctions 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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 681 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 6.5 in the last 90 days; 4.5 in the last 30 days; 596 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,638 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,942 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,945 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-360-KB (piston); 1,687 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8Y4 Lino Lakes MN at 2:46 pm
- Destination: 8Y4 Lino Lakes MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway SW, 6,500 ft by 1,000 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from KANE, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Airplane inverted and partially submerged in the lake
Photo 2 – Airplane hanging inverted during the recovery processThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statements | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N612R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna R172 Hawk XP 758 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-360-KB 9 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Surfside Seaplane Base · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,939 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN20CA188.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.