Cessna 172 accident near Buffalo, Missouri, September 21, 2000
On September 21, 2000 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7353A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buffalo, Missouri (Buffalo Municipal 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 inadvertent stall during a go-around. Factors relating to this accident were the student pilot's improper in-flight decisions and his failure to raise the flaps during the go around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2000 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo, Missouri · Buffalo Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7353A · no longer on the register · serial 29453
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot said that during his landing attempt, he caught a gust of wind that took the airplane sideways. The student pilot elected to go around. 'I started to climb, but it (the airplane) wouldn't climb fast enough. I decided to turn into the wind and also away from the runway. I turned toward an open field. Then the stall warning horn started to go off, and then it stalled 10 - 20 feet above the ground.' An examination of the airplane revealed the wing flaps partially retracted and the flap handle in the retracted position. The FAA inspector who examined the airplane said that a local policeman informed him that the flaps were full down at the time he arrived at the accident scene. No other anomalies were found.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2000; 250 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBO Lebanon MO at 10:30 pm
- Destination: H17
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,215 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from SGF, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.