Cessna 172RG accident near Montgomery, Alabama, September 15, 2004
On September 15, 2004 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N948SM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Montgomery, Alabama (Montgomery Reg/Dannelly 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 separation of a hydraulic line for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a hydraulic fluid leak and malfunction of the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2004 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Montgomery, Alabama · Montgomery Reg/Dannelly Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N948SM · registry record · serial 172RG1057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the pilot heard and felt a "thud" and detected an odor of "hydraulic fluid burning." The pilot diverted to an airport for landing, and his attempts to lower the landing gear using both normal and emergency procedures were unsuccessful. When the airplane touched down on the runway, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered left and struck a taxiway light. Examination revealed the landing gear would not function. The landing gear hydraulic system was found depleted of fluid, and a hydraulic line on the nose gear actuator was found separated from its swedge fitting. Examination of the line revealed no evidence of abnormal wear. A review of Service Difficulty Reports on file with the Federal Aviation Administration for Cessna 172RGs revealed one similar event reported in 2001 in which a hydraulic line on the nose gear actuator was found separated from its swedge fitting.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAIV Aliceville AL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: KSEM Selma AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:27 pm from KMGM
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.