Cessna 172M accident near Ackerman, Mississippi, September 20, 2024
On September 20, 2024 at about 8:48 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 172M, registered N73154, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Ackerman, Mississippi (Ackerman Choctaw County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The excessive airplane speed during a no-flap landing, and the pilot’s failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was the interference of the instrument panel wiring with the flight control system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2024 · about 8:48 pm local time
- Place
- Ackerman, Mississippi · Ackerman Choctaw County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M, built 1976 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N73154 · registry record · serial 17267293
- 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, during cruise flight, the airplane control yoke became hard to move, the pitch trim control wheel became loose, and the airplane lost electrical power. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport with a 3,000-ft long runway for a precautionary landing but performed a go-around because the airplane was too high. During the second approach for landing, the pilot placed the airplane into a slip to further reduce its altitude and landed about halfway down the runway at a speed of 83 knots with the wing flaps fully retracted. The pilot applied brakes to try to stop the airplane, but the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and nosed over in a grass field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the vertical stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the alternator power and ground terminals were not securely attached to the alternator, which would have resulted in an interruption of electrical power delivery to the electrical system and prevented the extension of the electrically operated wing flaps. Examination of the pitch control system revealed a separated pitch trim cable. There was no impingement of the pitch control system at the time of recovery and examination; however, one of the wires behind the instrument panel exhibited chafing indicative of interference with the flight control system’s cables and pulleys. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with excessive airspeed during the no-flap landing, which resulted in a runway overrun.
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
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Electrical system malf/failure during enroute (cruise)
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (cruise)
- Flight control sys malf/fail during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Landing distance › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Electrical pwr sys wiring › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 148 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 17, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,360 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 7, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 7,590 hours total
- Operator: Bishop Services LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PIB Moselle MS at 7:29 pm
- Destination: UOX Oxford MS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 19, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from LMS, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLMS 202135Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 31/20 A2991 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
15 documents, released by the NTSB on April 1, 2025. 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.
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.