Cessna 172N accident near St Charles, Missouri, October 8, 2006
On October 8, 2006 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4775D, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Charles, Missouri (St Charles 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 properly judge the landing flare and his inadequate recovery from the resulting bounced landing. A contributing factor was the inadvertent pilot induced oscillation (porpoise) after initial runway contact.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2006 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- St Charles, Missouri · St Charles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4775D · registry record · serial 17272357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted the runway during landing. The pilot reported that he entered a right downwind for runway 27. Upon turning final, he realized that the airplane was high. He corrected by increasing the flap setting to 30 degrees and reducing power in order to descend "a little quicker." He stated, "As I came over the threshold, I realized I was coming down too fast, but still felt I was OK. In the last seconds, I realized I was in trouble. The force with which we hit the runway was much harder than I expected." The airplane bounced upon contact with the runway. The pilot noted, "I thought it would bounce and then settle down. When it porpoised, I failed to take action to correct it, resulting in the wreck."
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: 226 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 138 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3SQ St Charles MO at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,451 ft by 49 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from STL, 9 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.