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 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2020 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bowling Green, Missouri · Bowling Green Muni · 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
- 550092 during descent
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
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- 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
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,559 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, 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
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
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°C, dew point 54°C
- Altimeter: 30.1 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from KHAE, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N65773 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CEN20CA241.