The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB SEA01LA098 · Final report

Cessna 172 accident near Rogersburg, Washington, May 19, 2001

On May 19, 2001 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4053F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rogersburg, Washington (Rogersberg 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 failure to maintain aircraft control while on final approach for landing. A tailwind was a factor.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 19, 2001 · about 9:30 pm local time
Place
Rogersburg, Washington · Rogersberg · map
Type
Accident · collision on the ground
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
Registration
N4053F · registry record · serial 36953
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that while on short final to a remote landing strip, the wind shifted to a quartering tailwind. The pilot tried to abort the landing, however, there was not sufficient airspeed for the go-around. The airplane touched down on the main landing gear in a yawed attitude to the direction of travel. When the nose wheel touched, it collapsed and the right wing contacted the surface. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions.

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; single-engine sea
  • Flight time: 425 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
  • Last flight review: May 30, 2000
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 3,829 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 2001; 71 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: LWS Lewiston ID at 9:05 pm
  • Destination: Rogersburg WA
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.