Cessna 172 accident near Madison, Mississippi, November 8, 2021
On November 8, 2021 at about 9:05 pm local time, a 2003 Cessna 172, registered N5321A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Madison, Mississippi (Bruce Campbell Fld 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control following a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2021 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Madison, Mississippi · Bruce Campbell Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2003 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5321A · registry record · serial 172S9308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that while practicing solo touch-and-go landings in calm wind and on his second approach to landing, the approach was higher and faster than normal, and the airplane bounced “hard.” She continued to attempt to land the airplane rather than perform a go-around and bounced a second time significantly harder. The airplane climbed momentarily, stalled, pitched nose down, and impacted the runway hard. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to a stop. The engine firewall and tunnel structure aft of the firewall sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that due to her “lack of experience” she did not immediately know how to correct the landing.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 38.9 hours in all; 38.9 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 3.8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 17, 4,444 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from KMBO
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMBO 081855Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 22/07 A3026 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 5, 2022. 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 | Photos | 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.
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.