Cessna 172 accident near Wichita, Kansas, June 28, 2025
On June 28, 2025 at about 6:07 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna 172, registered N1591V, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Wichita, Kansas (Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower Nt 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff that resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2025 · about 6:07 pm local time
- Place
- Wichita, Kansas · Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower Nt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1974 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1591V · registry record · serial 17263685
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was planning to perform three takeoffs and three landings for his first solo flight. After completing the second landing, the student pilot applied full power for the takeoff. When the student pilot began to manipulate the flight controls for the takeoff, the airplane “abruptly pulled hard” toward the left. The student pilot then retarded the throttle and applied the brakes, and the airplane departed the runway to the left. The left main landing gear impacted a runway sign, and the landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest upright on a grass field near the runway. The student pilot was able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine 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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Landing gear collapse during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
- Evacuation during post (impact)
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 › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 33.2 hours in all; 33.2 in this make and model; 33.2 in the last 90 days; 10.1 in the last 30 days; 0.6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 14, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O-320-E2D (piston); 5,570 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Academy LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01R/, 7,302 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KICT, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KICT 281753Z 16012KT 10SM SCT250 31/22 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP130 T03060222 10306 20211 58005 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of the front of the airplane at the accident site
Photograph 2 – View of the front of the airplane inside of a hangar
Photograph 3 – View of the left side of the airplane inside of a hangar
Photograph 4 – View of the right side of the airplane inside of a hangar
Photograph 5 – View of the substantial damage sustained to the left horizontal stabilizerThe 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 5, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Federal Aviation Administration - Inspector's Statement | PDF, 9 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.