Cessna 172R accident near Olathe, Kansas, August 5, 2004
On August 5, 2004 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N458CM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Olathe, Kansas (New Century 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 flared too high and failed to recover from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2004 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Olathe, Kansas · New Century · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N458CM · registry record · serial 17280850
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional 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 student pilot reported that the flight was his third cross-country solo flight. He reported that he flared too high and the aircraft touched down hard and ballooned several times. The airplane veered to the left of the runway and the left main landing gear and nose gear went off the side of the runway. The post-flight inspection of the airplane revealed a propeller tip was bent. A subsequent inspection revealed the engine firewall was buckled.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 61 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Central Missouri State University
The flight
- Departed from: SGF Springfield MO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: IXD Olathe KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 4
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.