Cessna 172R accident near Fredrick, Maryland, February 5, 2004
On February 5, 2004 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N5165M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fredrick, Maryland (Frederick Muni 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing. A factor was 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 5, 2004 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fredrick, Maryland · Frederick Muni · 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
- N5165M · registry record · serial 17281092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon landing, the airplane veered to the left. The student pilot applied full right rudder, but could not maintain directional control, and the airplane subsequently impacted a snow bank along the left side of the runway. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction. The flight was the student's pilot's first solo flight.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,126 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 31, 2003; 47.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FDK Fredrick MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 5,220 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.55 inHg
- Observation at 9:14 pm from FDK
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.