Cessna 172C accident near Falls City, Nebraska, November 14, 1998
On November 14, 1998 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N1806Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Falls City, Nebraska (Brenner Field). 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 flight instructor (on the ground)'s conducting inadequate initial training of the student pilot. Factors were the student pilot's misjudging the flare and his lack of total experience in the type of operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1998 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Falls City, Nebraska · Brenner Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1806Y · registry record · serial 17249406
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On his fourth attempt to land the airplane the student pilot misjudged the flare and hard landed the airplane. The accident flight was the second time the student pilot had operated the airplane solo. The student pilot had accumulated a total flight time of 13.9 hours upon returning to the home field following a hard landing at another airport where he had conducted a round-robin cross country flight. He had received 8.6 hours of dual instruction in preparation for his first solo flight. After that he received an additional 1.8 hours dual instruction in cross country technique. Then his student pilot certificate was endorsed approving solo cross country flights at which point he conducted the accident flight.
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: 14 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,271 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1998; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLV Ft. Leavenworth KS at 4:50 pm
- Destination: FNB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,999 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.
Other NTSB records under N1806Y 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.