Cessna 172N Safety Record

Complete NTSB accident and incident history. 1178 events recorded from 1982 to 2025.

1178

All Events

709

Incidents

180

Minor

90

Serious

197

Fatal (403 fatalities)

Date Location Reg# Severity Damage Probable Cause
Apr 10, 2004 Bridgeport, CT N6583D Incident substantial
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain aircraft control which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was t…

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain aircraft control which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the gusty winds.

Apr 03, 2004 Statesboro, GA N4874G Incident substantial
The pilot's failure to establish a positive climb and his failure to maintain clearance during a go-around, which resulted in an in-flight collision w…

The pilot's failure to establish a positive climb and his failure to maintain clearance during a go-around, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees. A factor was the gusting winds.

Apr 02, 2004 Columbia, SC N271EP Incident substantial
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The pilot's preflight planning and uneven terrain were contrib…

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The pilot's preflight planning and uneven terrain were contributing factors.

Mar 21, 2004 Creswell, OR N739HQ Incident substantial
The pilot's attempting takeoff with the fuel selector in the OFF position resulting in fuel starvation. Contributing factors were the change in habit…

The pilot's attempting takeoff with the fuel selector in the OFF position resulting in fuel starvation. Contributing factors were the change in habit pattern and expectancy of the fuel selector position as well as the fence and tree.

Mar 10, 2004 Knoxville, TN N6257F Minor substantial
The CFI's inadequate in-flight planning/decision and his inadequate supervision which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the inadequate prefli…

The CFI's inadequate in-flight planning/decision and his inadequate supervision which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the inadequate preflight planning/preparation to ensure an adequate fuel supply, and the berm.

Mar 03, 2004 Gig Harbor, WA N75844 Incident substantial
The pilot's failure to follow the published IFR procedure resulting in failure to maintain clearance from objects during an instrument approach. Tree…

The pilot's failure to follow the published IFR procedure resulting in failure to maintain clearance from objects during an instrument approach. Trees and an inoperative glide slope receiver were factors.

Feb 23, 2004 Youngstown, OH N738EK Incident substantial An inadvertent collision with a deer while landing.
Feb 13, 2004 Parowan, UT N9892J Incident substantial the pilot's in-flight decision/planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The fence and night conditions were contributing factors.
Feb 13, 2004 Upland, CA N5107K Minor substantial A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during takeoff.
Feb 12, 2004 Easton, MD N734AT Incident substantial The student pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Feb 07, 2004 Cahokia, IL N738EJ Incident substantial
The inadequate supervision by the certified flight instructor which lead to the student pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the snowbank during…

The inadequate supervision by the certified flight instructor which lead to the student pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the snowbank during the landing. The snowbank was a factor.

Jan 28, 2004 Rigby, ID N734CB Serious (2) substantial
The flight instructor's failure to follow procedures, i.e., operating the non-icing certified aircraft in known icing conditions contrary to the pilot…

The flight instructor's failure to follow procedures, i.e., operating the non-icing certified aircraft in known icing conditions contrary to the pilot operators handbook which resulted in ice accretion and ultimately a stall and loss of control in flight. Contributing factors were the icing conditions and degraded aircraft performance.

Jan 03, 2004 Hayfork, CA N390BV Incident substantial the pilot's inadequate in-flight decision to attempt a landing on a snow covered runway without ascertaining the depth of the snow cover.
Dec 29, 2003 Angels Camp, CA N461BD Incident substantial
the CFI's inadequate compensation for a crosswind condition, which resulted in the loss of directional control. The crosswind and wind gusts were fac…

the CFI's inadequate compensation for a crosswind condition, which resulted in the loss of directional control. The crosswind and wind gusts were factors.

Dec 08, 2003 Snelling, CA N739SU Incident substantial The total loss of engine power due to oil starvation caused by the failure of the engine driven oil pump.
Dec 04, 2003 Nogales, AZ N5216J Incident substantial The student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain directional control.
Nov 21, 2003 La Grange, TX N739YK Minor substantial The pilot's failure to properly navigate during the day VFR cross-country flight, which resulted in the pilot becoming disoriented.
Nov 10, 2003 Mannheim, GE N6473D Incident substantial Investigation pending
Nov 09, 2003 Philippi, WV N738UL Minor substantial The pilot's improper decision to depart from a runway of insufficient length. Factors in the accident were the turf runway and tailwind condition.
Nov 09, 2003 Winslow, AZ N75816 Incident substantial the pilot's misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a pilot induced porpoise oscillation and hard landing.
Oct 25, 2003 Fresno, CA N738YL Incident substantial
the pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power. Also causal was the pilot's failure to follow e…

the pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power. Also causal was the pilot's failure to follow engine out emergency procedures as defined by the pilot operating handbook.

Oct 21, 2003 Olive Branch, MS N75510 Fatal (1) substantial
The student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (Vso), which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin, an uncontrolled descent, and an impact with terra…

The student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (Vso), which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin, an uncontrolled descent, and an impact with terrain. A factor in the accident was his failure to follow the airplane's operating checklist and retract the wing flaps for takeoff.

Oct 21, 2003 Melbourne, FL N734JT Incident substantial
Inadvertent full retraction of the flaps, while recovering from a bounced landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and subseq…

Inadvertent full retraction of the flaps, while recovering from a bounced landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and subsequent impact with terrain.

Oct 19, 2003 Everglades City, FL N933JH Minor substantial
The pilot's improper preflight planning/preparation which resulted in the airplane's gust lock being left installed, which resulted in the airplane no…

The pilot's improper preflight planning/preparation which resulted in the airplane's gust lock being left installed, which resulted in the airplane not being able lift off during the takeoff roll, and damage to the airplane when it overran the runway and crashed into the water at the end of the runway.

Sep 21, 2003 Pahrump, NV N6548D Incident substantial
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from the mountainous terrain while maneuvering, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terra…

the pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from the mountainous terrain while maneuvering, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.

Disclaimer: This data is sourced from the NTSB Aviation Accident Database. NTSB events reflect reported accidents and incidents and do not necessarily indicate a defect in the aircraft type. Many events involve pilot error, weather conditions, maintenance issues, or other factors unrelated to the aircraft design. This information is provided for research purposes only — consult official NTSB reports for complete details.
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