Cessna 172N accident near Murphysboro, Illinois, July 16, 2014
On July 16, 2014, a 1977 Cessna 172N, registered N737SY, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Murphysboro, Illinois (Southern Illinois airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A hard landing by person(s) unknown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2014
- Place
- Murphysboro, Illinois · Southern Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N N, built 1977 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N737SY · no longer on the register · serial 17269650
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a written statement from maintenance personnel, a pilot discovered the airplane's nose wheel at an "unusual angle" during a preflight inspection. The pilot reported the damage to the fixed based operator (FBO) who asked maintenance to examine the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the nose wheel and underside of the fuselage aft of the main landing gear, and substantial damage to the rudder. The FBO contacted the certificated flight instructors and pilots of the three flights that occurred preceding the damage report. The first and third flights were airplane checkout flights with the flight instructor; the second flight was a personal flight conducted by a senior flight instructor. Written statements provided to the FBO from the two flight instructors of those flights failed to reveal who was responsible for the damage, when or where it occurred, or how it was caused. Also unknown, is why the flight instructors did not observe the damage prior to their respective flights.
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 performance › Not specified
Other crew
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MDH Murphysboro IL
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 27, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Statement from Maintenance Personnel | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Statement from Flight Instructor - Fischer | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Statement from Flight Instructor - Kampe | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N737SY 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.