Cessna 172M accident near Double Springs, Alabama, May 16, 1999
On May 16, 1999 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20417, was substantially damaged in an accident near Double Springs, Alabama (Double Springs 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 OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING LANDING. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1999 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Double Springs, Alabama · Double Springs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N20417 · registry record · serial 17261272
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, while attempting a landing on runway 03, the airplane encountered a crosswind and veered off the left side of the runway. He applied slight power to settle the airplane down gently, and realized the wind had blown him off the runway. He applied carburetor heat, retracted flaps, and applied power. The airplane went down an embankment, and the left wing collided with a tree at the bottom of the embankment where the airplane came to rest. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or a component failure. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot.
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: student
- Flight time: 65 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 31 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,443 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 1998; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFX Jasper AL at 5:15 pm
- Destination: 3M2 Double Springs AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,403 ft by 78 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MSL, 33 miles away
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.