Cessna 172N accident near South St. Paul, Minnesota, January 22, 2008
On January 22, 2008 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738UE, was substantially damaged in an accident near South St. Paul, Minnesota. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident were the snow-covered runway and the gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2008 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- South St. Paul, Minnesota · 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
- N738UE · registry record · serial 17270241
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on a solo cross-country flight when the accident occurred. The airplane reportedly touched down on the runway centerline then gradually veered toward the right side of the runway. The airplane nosed over after contacting a hard packed snow pile at the edge of the runway. The local winds reported 5 minutes after the accident were from 260 degrees at 13 knots gusting to 18 knots. The nose over resulted in substantial damage to the left wing spar and ribs.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site 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 CHI08CA069.