Cessna 172 accident near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, June 25, 1994
On June 25, 1994 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N54920, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (First Flight airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS, HIS IMPROPER RECOVERY FROM A BOUNCED LANDING, AND THE INADVERTENT STALL. FACTORS WERE THE WIND CONDITIONS AND THE TREES THAT BOUNDED THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1994 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kitty Hawk, North Carolina · First Flight · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N54920 · no longer on the register · serial 17275078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS LANDING AT A COASTAL AIRPORT WITH STRONG WINDS AND WIND GUSTS. HE COMMENTED THAT HE TRAINED AT A COASTAL AIRPORT WITH PERSISTENT CROSSWINDS, BUT DID NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE TREES THAT BOUNDED THIS RUNWAY. AS THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED BELOW THE TOPS OF THE TREES, AND THE PILOT RECOGNIZED THAT THE RUNWAY WAS MADE, HE REDUCED THE POWER TO IDLE. THE AIRPLANE DEVELOPED A RAPID SINK RATE, LANDED AND BOUNCED. A GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT STALL. THE AIRPLANE THEN COLLIDED WITH THE TREES.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 278 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,832 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRE N. Myrtle Beach SC at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from MQI, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.