Cessna 172 accident near Lawrence, Kansas, November 20, 2020
On November 20, 2020 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N99HV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lawrence, Kansas (Lawrence Municipal 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 landing flare/touchdown which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2020 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrence, Kansas · Lawrence Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N99HV · registry record · serial 172S10090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot planned on a solo flight and reported that he didn't notice anything unusual during the pre-fight inspection. Before takeoff, he manipulated the control yoke through its full range of motion and did not notice any abnormalities. The student pilot reported that during the first takeoff, the nose pitched up and airplane climbed much faster than expected which he attributed to the weight difference from flying solo rather than with an instructor in the airplane. He stayed in the traffic pattern and stated he was centered on the runway and pulled back on the yoke for the flare. The yoke suddenly came back, and the nose pitched very high. The student pilot added that he didn't expect this sudden pitch change and prepared to add full throttle for a go-around when the airplane stalled and landed hard. After landing the student pilot moved the yoke through the full range forward and backward to check the functionality. He stated that he did not notice the same "pop" forward and backward like he did during the previous landing, so he taxied back for another takeoff. The student pilot again reported that during the second flight it was very difficult to control the pitch and airspeed and the yoke seemed to push either forward or backward over some type of "stuck" point, so he selected full flaps on final. After he initiated the landing flare, there was again a noticeable "snap" back of an inch or two of the control yoke. The main gear landed first, however; the nose wheel came down very fast. Examination of the airplane found damage to the airplane’s nose gear and substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. There were no abnormities that would indicate the damage was present before the student’s hard landings and the damage to the structure and flight controls are likely due to the student’s two hard landings.
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
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 19 hours in all; 19 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,843.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 21, 2020
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerohawk LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LWC Lawrence KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from KLWC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N99HV 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 CEN21LA066.