Cessna 172N accident near Beaver Marsh, Oregon, January 25, 2008
On January 25, 2008 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734KU, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Beaver Marsh, Oregon (Beaver Marsh State Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision to land on a snow covered runway without first determining the depth of the snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2008 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Beaver Marsh, Oregon · Beaver Marsh State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734KU · registry record · serial 17268921
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the pilot neared the airport, he decided to land as the passengers needed to use the airport's facilities. Using several visual clues, including some nearby vegetation, he estimated that the runway had a layer of snow on the surface several inches in depth. The airplane touched down on the snow covered runway and the airplane suddenly stopped, nosing over inverted. Once on the ground, the pilot found that the snow was in actuality over 1-foot deep. He reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 537 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S3 Hillsboro OR at 8:30 pm
- Destination: 2S2 Beaver Marsh OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N734KU the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX08CA053.