Cessna 172S accident near Urbana, Ohio, February 7, 2021
On February 7, 2021 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 2001 Cessna 172S, registered N348RM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Urbana, Ohio (Grimes Fld airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s loss of directional control during landing which resulted in an impact with a snowbank. The slippery runway condition contributed to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 2021 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Urbana, Ohio · Grimes Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S, built 2001 · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N348RM · no longer on the register · serial 172S8936
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he was 0n a solo cross-country flight and the takeoff, climb, and en route portions of the flight were uneventful. He expected to perform a touch-and-go landing at the accident airport. During the approach, he noticed that the runway had patchy snow on it. Upon landing the airplane veered to the left, which the student pilot believed was due to the unresponsiveness of the controls and the ice. He decided to change to a full stop landing and applied the brakes, but the airplane struck a snowbank on the left side of the runway, and it tipped forward and to the right. The airplane’s right wing was bent up at the tip resulting in substantial damage. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. The airport manager confirmed that the runway had patchy compressed snow covering about 25% of the runway surface.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 48.6 hours in all; 42.6 in this make and model; 11.5 in the last 90 days; 5.5 in the last 30 days; 5.4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,044 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 22, 2021; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 9,305 hours total
- Operator: Lunken Flight Training Center LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LUK Cincinnati OH at 6:57 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 02/2, 4,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from EDJ, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 17, 2021. 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 | Photographs of Accident Airplane | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.