Cessna 172 accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, August 7, 2022
On August 7, 2022 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1956 Cessna 172, registered N171Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Mccarthy, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff in turbulent weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2022 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172, built 1956 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N171Q · registry record · serial 28197
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the off-field takeoff from sloping tundra, on top of a mesa, was uneventful. The left wing stalled in turbulent air, as the airplane was building airspeed to climb, and then the left wing struck the ground. The airplane cartwheeled onto the nose and came to rest about 200 yards downslope from the top of the mesa. The left wing, empennage, and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Terrain induced turbulence › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,222 hours in all; 1,405 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,121 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 1,117 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 60°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N171Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN22LA380.