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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Mcminnville, Oregon · Mcminnville Municipal · cases near this airport · 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 |
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
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N734KU on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,687 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M 418 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- MC Minnville Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,008 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N734KU 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA03LA036.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.