Cessna 172M accident near Montague, California, October 23, 2003
On October 23, 2003, a Cessna 172M, registered N80543, was substantially damaged in an accident near Montague, California (Montague Siskiyou County, Ca 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 crosswind condition and failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2003
- Place
- Montague, California · Montague Siskiyou County, Ca · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N80543 · registry record · serial 17266647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a crosswind landing, the airplane veered off the runway, encountered a soft plowed field, and nosed over. The pilot was performing his second crosswind landing of the flight when a gust of wind caused the airplane to veer off the runway. He tried to steer the airplane through the freshly plowed field and back onto the runway when the airplane struck a berm and nosed over. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with any system during the event.
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: 78 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SIY Montague CA
- Destination: 1O5 Montague CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.