Cessna 172R accident near St. Paul, Minnesota, March 5, 2003
On March 5, 2003 at about 9:28 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N35307, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Paul, Minnesota (South St. Paul Municipal Airpo 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 loss of directional control by the solo student pilot. A factor to the accident was the excessive speed during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2003 · about 9:28 pm local time
- Place
- St. Paul, Minnesota · South St. Paul Municipal Airpo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N35307 · no longer on the register · serial 17281009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged when it departed the runway and nosed over during a student solo flight. A report submitted by the airplane operator and signed by the pilot states that, on landing, the student pilot lost directional control and departed the right side of the runway. The report further states that the "airplane may have been fast on approach, and subsequently landed flat and fast." No preexisting mechanical defects were found during a postaccident examination of the airplane. The student pilot had a total of 37.5 hours of flight experience.
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: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,082.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 13, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGS St. Paul MN at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point -8°F (-22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 9:16 pm from SGS
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.