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Accidents · NTSB CHI99LA148 · Final report

Cessna 172 accident near Blair, Nebraska, April 29, 1999

On April 29, 1999 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5336R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blair, Nebraska (Blair 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 pilot's misjudged landing flare.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 29, 1999 · about 3:30 pm local time
Place
Blair, Nebraska · Blair Airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
Registration
N5336R · no longer on the register · serial 17263522
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that he was practicing takeoffs and landings, and air work in a mild crosswind. He said turbulence caused by a grove of trees to the east end of the runway caused the airplane to float, and then drop.

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: 63 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,027 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1999; 19 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: K26 at 1:30 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 13, 3,100 ft by 50 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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 N5336R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

1989-10-19MKC90LA010 · accident near Omaha, NE · substantial damage · no injuries

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.