Cessna 172 accident near Opa Locka, Florida, October 17, 2002
On October 17, 2002 at about 8:34 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N903WA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Opa Locka, Florida (Opalocka airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot' inadequate evaluation of weather information, and the selection of the wrong runway that resulted in an attempted takeoff with a tailwind and the subsequent loss of control during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2002 · about 8:34 pm local time
- Place
- Opa Locka, Florida · Opalocka · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N903WA · no longer on the register · serial 172-61334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI), who was flying the airplane, and the student pilot were conducting touch-and-go landings to runway 27. They had completed three touch-and-go procedures and were on the fourth takeoff when an updraft lifted the airplane off the runway. The student pilot reported that the airplane ballooned into the air and came down "hard" on to the runway. The airplane also collided with a runway light and the right wing tip was also damaged. The CFI did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane. The nearest weather reporting facility, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reported prevailing winds from 050 degrees at 14 knots at the time of the accident. The CFI obtained weather information from Opa Locka Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS)
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 580 hours in all; 517 in this make and model; 162 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command; 217 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 7, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,373 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 10, 2002; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-320-HZAD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OPF Opa Locka FL at 8:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,306 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.