Cessna 172N accident near Grafton, North Dakota, February 10, 2005
On February 10, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N2291E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grafton, North Dakota (Grafton Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions which resulted in a loss of directional control during the landing. Factors associated with the accident were the crosswind condition and the snow bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grafton, North Dakota · Grafton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N2291E · registry record · serial 17271224
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over after colliding with a snow bank while landing on runway 35. The pilot stated he listened to the closest automated terminal information service (ATIS), located 30 miles away. He reported the winds were from 260 degrees at 16 knots. The pilot reported he checked the windsock prior to landing at his destination airport. He reported the windsock was indicating winds from the west. The pilot stated he made two go-arounds because the airplane was not lined up with the runway centerline. He stated that that after turning onto final approach on the third landing attempt, the airplane was "just a little on the upwind side of the runway centerline." He stated that after touching down, "the wind blew me off the side of the runway" and the airplane contacted a snow bank. The pilot reported the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over.
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
- Flight time: 197 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 161 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 12, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,852 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 7, 2005; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKN Crookston MN at 8:30 pm
- Destination: GAF Grafton ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from GFK, 33 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N2291E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.