Cessna 172A accident near Emigrant Gap, California, March 11, 2005
On March 11, 2005 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172A, registered N4682G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Emigrant Gap, California (Blue Canyon - Nyack 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 preflight planning and his selection of an unsuitable landing area, resulting in an encounter with a snow-covered runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2005 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Emigrant Gap, California · Blue Canyon - Nyack Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N4682G · no longer on the register · serial 17273308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over during a touch-and-go landing on a snow covered runway. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent when the airplane came to rest inverted. Upon arrival in the airport vicinity, the pilot flew over the airport three times. He noted that one end of the runway was visible and that the remaining 3/4 of the runway was covered in snow. Visually, the snow did not appear to be of any great depth. Based on the reported winds, the pilot decided to perform a touch-and-go on the snow-covered portion of the runway. As the airplane touched down, the landing gear entered the snow and the airplane nosed-over. The pilot noted no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The Airport Facility Directory Southwest (AFD/SW) contains the following entry, in part, for the accident airport: "CLOSED winters due to snow." The pilot reported that he reviewed the AFD/SW, but did not read the "Remarks" section.
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: 218 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: West Valley Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: KSQL San Carlos CA at 10:47 am
- Destination: BLU Emigrant Gap CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
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.