Cessna 172S accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 8, 2014
On April 8, 2014 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 2002 Cessna 172S, registered N5306U, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Double Eagle II 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper flare that resulted in a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2014 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · Double Eagle II · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S, built 2002 · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N5306U · registry record · serial 172S9264
- 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 he was on a solo flight practicing full stop landings. The airplane bounced on touchdown resulting in one tip of the propeller striking the runway. The examination of the airplane revealed that there was substantial damage to the firewall. 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 Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 82 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 13.5 in the last 90 days; 6.3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,718 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 4, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 2,498 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AEG Albuquerque NM at 7:10 pm
- Destination: AEG Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,993 ft by 10 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from AEG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN14CA191.