Cessna 172RG accident near Marthasville, Missouri, April 23, 2002
On April 23, 2002 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5388R, was destroyed in an accident near Marthasville, Missouri (Washington Memorial airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate supervision and the stall encountered by the certified flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2002 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Marthasville, Missouri · Washington Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5388R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0059
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructional flight impacted terrain in a nose down attitude following an initial climb from a touch and go landing. A witness reported seeing the landing gear retract when the airplane was approximately 3-4 feet above the runway. The airplane then descended and the propeller struck the runway. Propeller slash marks were found down the departing runway. Examination of the propeller revealed that the propeller tips were gouged and the landing gear handle was in the gear up position. The landing gear handle and landing gear were in the retracted position. Continuity of the landing gear electrical system was confirmed. Flight control continuity was also confirmed. A pilot who received instruction from the certified flight instructor (CFI) involved in the accident reported that the CFI would have him retract the landing gear prior to reaching a best angle or best rate of climb speed as stipulated in the airplane handbook.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 202 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 129 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 21, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 1,579 as pilot in command; 923 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 28, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,506.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 2002; 61.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Thunder Aviation, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: MO6 Marthasville MO at 6:46 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,281 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from SUS, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N5388R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.