Cessna 172N Safety Record
Complete NTSB accident and incident history. 1178 events recorded from 1982 to 2025.
| Date | Location | Reg# | Severity | Damage | Probable Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 22, 2021 | Auburn, CA | N6280F | Serious (1) | substantial | The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude during an instrument approach, which resulted in an impact with power lines. |
| Nov 21, 2021 | Old Bridge, NJ | N8074E | Minor | destroyed | The student pilot’s loss of control during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. |
| Nov 14, 2021 | Worms, GE | N884CA | Incident | substantial | Investigation pending |
| Oct 17, 2021 | Laurier, WA | N832DC | Incident | substantial |
The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action to prevent the airplane from landing long which, resulted in a runway overrun and collision with terra…The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action to prevent the airplane from landing long which, resulted in a runway overrun and collision with terrain. |
| Sep 19, 2021 | Grass Valley, CA | N4977G | Incident | substantial |
The pilot’s failure to attain a proper touchdown point on the runway while landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a runway overrun. Con…The pilot’s failure to attain a proper touchdown point on the runway while landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction due to an electrical issue. |
| Aug 23, 2021 | Hayward, CA | N737GL | Incident | substantial | The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced hard landing. |
| Jul 25, 2021 | Kernville, CA | N728KG | Minor | substantial | The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during landing after an encounter with a wind gust which resulted in a collision with trees. |
| May 05, 2021 | Lewiston, ID | N733BT | Incident | substantial |
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during taxiing in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a taxiway excursion and collision with a…The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during taxiing in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a taxiway excursion and collision with a fence. |
| Feb 12, 2021 | Prairie du Sac, WI | N3477E | Incident | substantial |
The student pilot’s loss of directional control during takeoff, which resulted in the collision with a snowbank. Contributing to the accident was the …The student pilot’s loss of directional control during takeoff, which resulted in the collision with a snowbank. Contributing to the accident was the compacted snow conditions on the runway surface. |
| Oct 13, 2020 | Williston, FL | N6158G | Incident | substantial | The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. |
| Sep 29, 2020 | Spring, TX | N75634 | Minor | substantial | The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during climb and subsequent impact with terrain. |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Rotan, TX | N734BS | Fatal (2) | destroyed | The pilot's reckless decision to conduct low-level flight over a canyon, resulting in the airplane's impact with power lines and terrain. |
| May 11, 2018 | ORRVILLE, OH | N738XT | Serious (1) | substantial |
The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed during the soft field takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of att…The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed during the soft field takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. |
| Nov 22, 2017 | Maple Lake, MN | N734VH | Incident | substantial | The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. |
| Nov 20, 2017 | San Diego, CA | N172SX | Incident | substantial | An in-flight collision with a bird. |
| Nov 04, 2017 | Hatch, NM | N251CH | Fatal (4) | substantial |
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack…The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall/spin. |
| Sep 07, 2017 | Bolinas, CA | N737QQ | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The non-instrument rated private pilot's improper decision to embark on a flight and continue to fly into forecasted instrument meteorological conditi…The non-instrument rated private pilot's improper decision to embark on a flight and continue to fly into forecasted instrument meteorological conditions and mountain obscuration while conducting a visual flight rules flight. |
| Jul 29, 2017 | Big Bear, CA | N5381J | Fatal (2) | substantial |
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic…The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain. |
| Feb 18, 2017 | Statesville, NC | N738DS | Incident | substantial | A loss of airplane control during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. |
| Nov 18, 2016 | Moss Beach, CA | N6610D | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The pilot's loss of airplane control following an encounter with low level wind shear and turbulence during final approach for landing. Contributing t…The pilot's loss of airplane control following an encounter with low level wind shear and turbulence during final approach for landing. Contributing to the loss of control was the pilot's decision to retract the wing flaps on final approach, which resulted in a sudden loss of lift. |
| Nov 10, 2016 | Kingston, JM | N101KA | Fatal (3) | destroyed | Investigation pending |
| Aug 25, 2016 | Terre Haute, IN | N17SK | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The pilot's failure to maintain a normal approach path to the runway, which resulted in the airplane colliding with a tree and a house during final ap…The pilot's failure to maintain a normal approach path to the runway, which resulted in the airplane colliding with a tree and a house during final approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent flight experience. |
| May 28, 2016 | Avalon, CA | N739ZE | Fatal (2) | destroyed | Undetermined because the airplane was not located. |
| Mar 26, 2016 | Charleston, WV | N6238D | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The flight instructor's failure to ensure that her seat was properly secured before initiating the takeoff, which resulted in a subsequent loss of con…The flight instructor's failure to ensure that her seat was properly secured before initiating the takeoff, which resulted in a subsequent loss of control. Contributing was the lack of an installed secondary seat stop. |
| Jan 13, 2016 | Gilmer, TX | N737EZ | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the a…The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate traffic pattern altitude and distance from the runway, which may have allowed the airplane to glide to the runway following the loss of engine power. |