Cessna 172N accident near Mcminnville, Oregon, February 8, 2003
On February 8, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734KU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcminnville, Oregon (Mcminnville Municipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors include gusty crosswinds and soft terrain in the area where the aircraft departed the side of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mcminnville, Oregon · Mcminnville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- 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
The pilot, who was landing in gusty crosswinds, had already made one landing and was on the landing roll of his second when he encountered crosswinds that lifted the aircraft's left wing in the air. At the same time as the wing was being lifted, the aircraft started drifting toward the right side of the runway. As the pilot attempted to get the wing down using aileron deflection, and tried to get the aircraft heading straight down the runway, it felt to him like the aircraft was going to cartwheel. He therefore decided to let the aircraft go off the side of the runway in the direction it was headed. After departing the runway, the aircraft encountered soft terrain, whereupon the nose gear dug in and the aircraft nosed over. According to the pilot, except for a minor nose wheel shimmy, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's controls.
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: 74 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 16, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,763 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 2003; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MMV Mcminnville OR at 8:55 pm
- Destination: MMV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 5,420 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 SEA03LA036.