Cessna 172 accident near Hickory, North Carolina, November 22, 2003
On November 22, 2003 at about 11:03 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N61924, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hickory, North Carolina (Hickory Regional airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The CFI inadequate supervision, and failure to maintain directional control during the attempted touch-and-go landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 2003 · about 11:03 pm local time
- Place
- Hickory, North Carolina · Hickory Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N61924 · no longer on the register · serial 17264889
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon arriving at the destination airport, the flight was cleared for a touch-and-go landing. During the go phase of the first landing, the student pilot relinquished the flight controls without coordinating the exchange with the certified flight instructor. The airplane veered to the right, but efforts by the CFI to correct the right drift were unsuccessful. The airplane continued off the runway surface and nosed over into the grass. The post-accident examination of the airplane wreckage revealed that both wings had leading edge and spar damage. The on-scene examination of the normal wheel brake system, nose wheel assembly, rudder controls and related system failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure. The CFI did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane.
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: 4,202 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 46 hours in all; 46 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,691 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 14, 2003; 49.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hickory NC at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,400 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from HKY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.