NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC25LA056
Registry · N8085L
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172H
Year of manufacture
1967 · 58 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19670930
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB02A7
Registrant of record
DOWNS WARREN
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s decision to land on an unsuitable landing surface with a tailwind, which resulted in a nose over. Contributing was the pilot’s failure to recognize the wind direction, resulting in a tailwind landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, while landing on a beach, the airplane’s nosewheel dug into the soft sand. The airplane subsequently nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and left wing strut. A witness, who was located about 1 mile west of the accident site, reported that the airplane had landed with a tailwind. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft surface-Effect on operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_ANC25LA056.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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