Cessna 172 accident near Provo, Utah, September 22, 2004
On September 22, 2004 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5338H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Provo, Utah (Provo Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's premature liftoff which resulted in failure to attain airspeed which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2004 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Provo, Utah · Provo Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5338H · registry record · serial 17265406
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A student pilot, attempting a soft-field take-off, applied full power, but the "airplane did not respond as earlier in [the] day" and it "did not climb as expected." The airplane pitched up and veered off the left side of the runway. He said he was "too low to push [the] nose down to increase airspeed." The airplane's left wing dropped and struck the ground. The airplane spun around to the left, the nose and right wing struck the ground and the airplane came to a stop on a heading of approximately 070 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, and the engine and right wing strut were separated from the fuselage.
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: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,364.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 10.4 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: PVU Provo UT at 11:30 pm
- Destination: PVU Provo UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 8,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from KPVU
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.