Cessna 172S accident near Immokalee, Florida, September 6, 2002
On September 6, 2002 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N827SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Immokalee, Florida (Immokalee 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper flare at touchdown resulted in a hard landing while performing an off-airport precautionary landing after the inadvertent activation of the autopilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2002 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Immokalee, Florida · Immokalee · 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
- N827SP · registry record · serial 17258740
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, she departed from runway 09, and at 300 feet above ground level she began "fighting with the yoke" of the airplane. The student pilot stated that she adjusted the trim, but the "nose was up and the airplane was coming down". She squawked 7700 on the transponder, and prepared for a precautionary landing by closing the throttle. The student pilot selected a field in front of her, approximately two miles northeast of the departure end of runway 09. The airplane landed hard, with the nose wheel impacting the ground first, and slid across a wet pasture coming to rest in a pond. The pilot stated that the autopilot circuit breaker had been pulled prior to flight and that she had observed the autopilot run through the preflight checks when electrical power was applied to the aircraft prior to departure. According to the student pilot, she had been instructed during her flight training to pull the circuit breaker prior to each solo flight and not to operate the autopilot at this stage of her training. Examination of the airplane revealed all of the circuit breakers were in the "IN" position. The nose landing gear collapsed aft and to the left, and the engine firewall was damage. The elevator trim was found in a nose up position. A series of tests were conducted to verify operation of the autopilot computer, autopilot circuit breaker, autopilot disconnect switch on the yoke, and the trim switch. The autopilot and its components operated normally during these tests.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 94 hours in all; 93 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,181 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 4, 2002; 7.7 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: APF Naples FL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: IMM Immokalee FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 090, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from RSW, 20 miles away
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.