Cessna 172S accident near Ankeny, Iowa, May 14, 2013
On May 14, 2013, a Cessna 172S, registered N947SP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ankeny, Iowa (Ankeny 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
- May 14, 2013
- Place
- Ankeny, Iowa · Ankeny 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
- N947SP · no longer on the register · serial 172S8142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the second landing of the student pilot’s first solo flight, the airplane landed flat and bounced three to four times. The student pilot taxied off the runway and determined that the airplane appeared to be operating properly. The student pilot flew one more takeoff and landing which were uneventful. The postflight inspection of the airplane revealed that one propeller blade tip was bent aft and the firewall was buckled. The student pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before 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 Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Student pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Bulkheads (main fuselage) › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 12 hours in all; 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming I0360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Exec 1 Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: IKV Ankeny IA at 11:45 pm
- Destination: IKV Ankeny IA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 185° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.64 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 pm from IKV
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 N947SP 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.