Cessna 172P accident near St. Francis, Kansas, June 19, 2005
On June 19, 2005 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53462, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Francis, Kansas (Cheyenne County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to compensate for the crosswind conditions during landing and the unsuccessful go-around. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2005 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Francis, Kansas · Cheyenne County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53462 · no longer on the register · serial 1727457
- 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 when it impacted terrain during a go-around while attempting to land on runway 13R. The pilot reported that the airplane was configured with 30 degrees of flaps and an approach speed of 65 knots while on final approach for landing. The pilot pulled the throttle to idle and flared the airplane. The pilot reported that when the airplane was about three to four feet above the runway, a gust of wind blew the airplane over the grass on the right side of the runway. The pilot executed a go-around. The pilot added full power, pushed the carburetor heat in, and raised the flaps 10 degrees. The pilot reported, "After centering the plane over the runway, it felt like we just lost all of our lift. Then the left wing touched the runway." The pilot reported that she applied full right rudder to bring the airplane back onto the runway. The pilot reported that the nose wheel came off and the propeller began striking the runway. The airplane departed the runway and nosed over when the airplane struck the dirt. The pilot reported, "Since I have had time to look back at the accident scene, I noticed that after the plane landed on its top the flaps were up. I'm not sure if I brought the flaps from 30 degrees to 0 degrees during the go-around procedure." The pilot reported the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) located about 24 nautical miles to the south was reporting winds of 140 degrees at 8 knots. The 1053 observed winds reported by the ASOS were 150 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 24 knots.
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: 100 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Action Aviation Academy
The flight
- Departed from: FTG Watkins CO at 2:30 pm
- Destination: SYF St. Francis KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 13
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 14 knots, gusting 24
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from GLD, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.