NTSB CEN23LA122 — 2023-02-25 · Princeton, Minnesota, United States

Current FAA registration · N208SP

Make / Model: CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture: 1999 · 24 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19990721
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A1B159

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N208SP Cessna 172S None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll. Contributing to the accident, was the runway condition combined with a right crosswind.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during takeoff the airplane “started to slide to the left on the ice” on the snow and ice-covered runway. The pilot chose to abort the takeoff. During the abort, the airplane kept “pulling to the left” and impacted the terrain between the runway and taxiway. Upon impact, the airplane nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and wing struts. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking off with a 40° right crosswind at 8 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered surface-Effect on operation
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA122.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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