Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172N near Petersburg, AK — 2025-10-07

Investigation ongoingANC26LA001
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Date
2025-10-07
Location
Petersburg, AK, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 172N
Registration
N80628
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On October 7, 2025, at 1456 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N80628, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Petersburg, Alaska. The student pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The student pilot purchased the airplane two weeks prior to the accident. The training flight included steep turns, turns around a point, and emergency procedures. The flight instructor stated that during the flight there was some mist in the area, so they had applied carburetor heat and left it on. After rolling out of a left turn, while in straight and level flight, the engine lost partial power. Engine power was briefly restored, then the engine lost all power. In an attempt to restore engine power, the flight instructor and student pilot cycled the magnetos, turned on the electric fuel pump, ensured the fuel selector was in the BOTH position, and the mixture was full RICH. Unable to restart the engine, the flight instructor performed a forced landing to a road. During the landing roll the airplane struck a large rock that partially separated the right main landing gear, and it pivoted it into a ditch. The airplane came to rest inverted and sustained substantial damage to the right wing. At 1456, the weather reported at Petersburg Airport (PAPG), about 14 miles southeast of the accident site, included a temperature of 9°C and a dew point of 7°C. The calculated relative humidity at this temperature and dewpoint was 87%. Review of the icing probability chart contained within Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were “serious icing at cruise power settings, and also fell within the range specified for icing in pressure-type carburetors.” A detailed examination is pending recovery of the airplane.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (total) · Enroute
  • Engine Failure Enroute
View NTSB preliminary report

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