Cessna 172M accident near Sublette, Kansas, July 30, 2004
On July 30, 2004 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N105PD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sublette, Kansas (Sublette Flying Club Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind condition, and her failure to maintain aircraft control during landing. Factors contributing to the accident included the student pilot's unsuccessful recovery from the bounced landings and the soft terrain conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2004 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sublette, Kansas · Sublette Flying Club Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N105PD · registry record · serial 17261469
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed the runway and nosed over during the student pilot's first solo flight. The pilot stated that the local winds resulted in a five knot left crosswind. The pilot reported that she flew a left traffic pattern for runway 17 and while on final approach had to "compensate with right rudder" for the crosswind. The pilot stated the airplane touched-down a few feet off the runway centerline with a "very slight bounce." The pilot reported the airplane "veered to the right" and that she was "unable to apply left rudder in time to keep [the airplane] from going off the runway." The pilot stated the right main landing gear contacted soft terrain and the airplane nosed over.
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: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,820 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 2004; 10.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 19S Sublette KS at 11:25 pm
- Destination: 19S Sublette KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from GCK, 27 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI04CA209.