Cessna 172S accident near Prescott, Arizona, March 24, 2006
On March 24, 2006 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N514ER, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Ernest A. Love Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in structural damage to the firewall and fuselage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 2006 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Ernest A. Love Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N514ER · no longer on the register · serial 172S9106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was concluding a personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He said the airplane bounced while landing, and with each successive bounce, the airplane landed harder. After the third bounce, he aborted the landing, returned, and landed without incident. An inspection of the airplane disclosed a bent firewall and floor, and damage to the nose landing gear mount. The pilot said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to departure.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 146 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ
- Runway 21L
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from KPRC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.