Cessna C172N accident near Manassas, Virginia, August 25, 2007
On August 25, 2007 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna C172N, registered N733BS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manassas, Virginia (Manassas Regional 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 failure to correct for a pilot-induced oscillation/porpoise, during flare/touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2007 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Manassas, Virginia · Manassas Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C172N
- Registration
- N733BS · registry record · serial 17268173
- 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's certified flight instructor (CFI), the student pilot was training under the United Stated Marine Corps Introductory Flight Screening Program, prior to attending the Naval Flight School at Pensacola, Florida. The student pilot reported to the CFI that he was making his third solo flight, in the traffic pattern and that the airplane bounced several times while he was attempting to land and that he had landed hard on the nose wheel, busting the tire. Inspection of the airplane revealed the tire had burst, the nose gear wheel was broken and the propeller had struck the runway. A Chief CFI at another flight school on the field advised that he had observed the incident. He stated that the student porpoised several times, making no apparent attempt to recover. The student pilot left the airport and returned to his barracks at Quantico. He met with the administrators of the Introductory Flight Screening program and advised them that he had been nervous during all flights and had decided flying was not for him. He dropped himself from the program. On October 2, 2007, further inspection of the airplane revealed that there was damage to the airplane's firewall.
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: 15 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Manassas Aviation Center, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: HEF Manassas VA at 2:55 pm
- Destination: HEF Manassas VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16R, 3,702 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from KIAD
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.
Other NTSB records under N733BS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.