Cessna 172N accident near Carbondale, Illinois, April 11, 2003
On April 11, 2003 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6317D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carbondale, Illinois (Southern Illinois 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 pilot failed to properly recover from a bounced landing which resulted in the airplane porpoising.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2003 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Carbondale, Illinois · Southern Illinois Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6317D · registry record · serial 17272715
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing. The pilot reported she did a go-around on the first landing because she was too high. She reported, "During the second approach I used 20 degrees of flaps. The airplane bounced once and I decided to go around again. On the third approach, I used 10 degrees of flaps and the airplane bounced and then landed." Witnesses reported seeing the airplane "porpoise" down the runway during the first attempted landing, and then it did a go-around. On the second attempt the airplane was fast on final approach and it landed flat. The airplane bounced back in the air and porpoised down the runway. The airplane hit hard on the nose with a "crunch," and then it did a go-around. The witnesses reported the airplane did not climb more that 300-400 feet in the traffic pattern before attempting to land a third time. A witness reported that the pilot landed fast and the airplane "porpoised slightly with the tires bouncing between the mains and nose, but very mild in comparison." The pilot kept the airplane on the runway and taxied back to the hangar.
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
- Flight time: 97 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 18 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 20, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,837 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 20, 2003; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Siu Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: OWB Owensboro KY at 6:55 pm
- Destination: MDH Carbondale IL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36R, 6,506 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from MDH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N6317D 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.