Cessna 172S accident near Bemidji, Minnesota, September 5, 2011
On September 5, 2011 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N548ND, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bemidji, Minnesota (Bemidji 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 improper flare, 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
- September 5, 2011 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bemidji, Minnesota · Bemidji Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N548ND · registry record · serial 172S11050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that the airplane ballooned during the flare and then dropped hard onto the runway, resulting in a hard landing. The airplane bounced three times before the student pilot initiated a go-around and landed uneventfully. The postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that the airplane did not have a mechanical or system failure prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 47 hours in all; 47 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,095 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 19, 2011
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: University Of North Dakota
The flight
- Departed from: GFK Grand Forks ND at 5:45 pm
- Destination: BJI Bemidji MN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 13, 7,004 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from BJI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N548ND 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.