Cessna 172N accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, January 12, 1996
On January 12, 1996 at about 4:23 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6338D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota (Grand Forks International 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while taxiing. Factors in the accident were the icy condition of the taxiway and the high gusting wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1996 · about 4:23 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · Grand Forks International · 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
- N6338D · registry record · serial 17272724
- 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 taxiing on the icy taxiway during his second supervised solo flight. He stated a gust of wind caught the airplane's tail and swung the airplane around. The airplane struck a snowbank, and the wing and propeller impacted the ground. The student pilot later stated that the wind had picked up quite a bit from the time he was out with his instructor to the time of the accident. After landing, he decided not to take off again because the winds had really picked up.
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: 35 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,763 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 19, 1995; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 22,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GFK at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 23 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:23 pm from GFK
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.