Cessna 172 accident near Bowling Green, Missouri, June 12, 2020
On June 12, 2020 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1982 Cessna 172, registered N65773, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Bowling Green, Missouri (Bowling Green Muni 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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2020 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Bowling Green, Missouri · Bowling Green Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 P, built 1982 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N65773 · registry record · serial 17275876
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that on two landing attempts, the airplane touched down hard and bounced multiple times. After the second landing attempt, the pilot aborted the landing and diverted to another airport. Five flight-legs later, the pilot returned to the airplane's rental location and noticed that the tail tie down fell off when he attempted to tie down the airplane. Further examination revealed substantial damage to the tail. The pilot did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 145 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 30, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,559 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 2020; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 3,103 hours total
- Operator: Aerowood Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: IXD Olathe KS at 8:30 pm
- Destination: LCK Columbus OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,203 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from KHAE, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence from Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Correspondence with Operator and FAA | PDF, 1 page | 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 N65773 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N65773 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,675 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,313 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bowling Green Municipal · nearest airport
- New Century Aircenter Airport · departed from
- Rickenbacker International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,637 since 1982 · 217 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,818 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N65773 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN20CA241.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.