Cessna 172P accident near Savannah, Georgia, July 18, 2005
On July 18, 2005 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N5299K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Savannah, Georgia (Savannah/Hilton Head Int airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control on landing roll out resulting in a ground loop, and on ground collision of the right wing with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2005 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · Savannah/Hilton Head Int · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5299K · no longer on the register · serial 17274052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated after touch down on runway 36 the airplane yawed to the left and he lost directional control. The airplane went off the left side of the runway and ground looped and the right wing collided with the ground. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane, flight controls, or engine assembly and accessories.
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
- Flight time: 107 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,684 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL at 1:35 pm
- Destination: SAV Savannah GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 7,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from SAV
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.