Cessna 172M accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota, October 9, 2005
On October 9, 2005 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N13585, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in an overload failure of the nose landing gear. Contributing to the accident was a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of inadequate preflight planning by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2005 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Elmo, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13585 · no longer on the register · serial 17262859
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged when it nosed over during landing. A report submitted by the pilot stated that the airplane had departed the Lake Elmo Airport, Lake Elmo, Minnesota earlier in the day and was flown to the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, Brainerd, Minnesota. The accident occurred on the return flight. The report states that the pilot did not re-fuel the airplane prior to departing on the return flight. The report stated that when the airplane was returning and was 3 miles from the airport, the engine lost power. The report states that the airplane had too much airspeed during landing, bounced 3 times, and flipped over. The accident occurred at the intended destination. No fuel was found in the airplane after the accident.
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: 243 hours in all; 125 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BRD Brainerd MN at 4:45 pm
- Destination: 21D Lake Elmo MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.