Cessna 172S accident near Sarasota, Florida, November 11, 2001
On November 11, 2001 at about 3:51 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N24485, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sarasota, Florida (Sarasota/Bradenton airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The operators failure to ensure adequate training had been provided to the student pilot in autopilot operations, and the student pilot's failure to comply/ follow written instructions (Federal Regulations/172 Skyhawk Information Manual) pertaining to the failure of the autopilot, autopilot trim, or manual electric trim malfunction. This resulted in a reported failure of the autopilot trim to disconnect on initial takeoff for undetermined reasons, loss of aircraft control on landing (porpoise), and subsequent hard landing on the nose gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 2001 · about 3:51 pm local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida · Sarasota/Bradenton · 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
- N24485 · registry record · serial 172S8943
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated she encountered an autopilot trim failure on initial takeoff climb. She attempted to disconnected the autopilot with the autopilot disconnect red button on the control yoke with negative results. She stated she had not received any training on the autopilot system by the operator. Review of her training records supported her statement. Title 14 CFR Part 91.9 requires the pilot to comply with the operating limitations in the airplane flight manual. The airplane flight manual for the Cessna 172S requires the pilot to commit to memory the four step procedure for autopilot, autopilot trim, or electric trim malfunction. The student pilot did not comply with the written instruction in the flight manual and experienced a loss of aircraft control on landing (porpoise on runway) resulting in a hard landing on the nose gear. Examination of the autopilot before removal from the airplane and at the factory revealed no abnormalities were noted.
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: student
- Flight time: 48 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 9, 2001; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SRQ Sarasota FL at 3:48 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 7,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from SRQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N24485 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL02LA013.