Cessna 172S accident near Cedar City, Utah, September 20, 2005
On September 20, 2005 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N172GW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cedar City, Utah (Cedar City Muni 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 student pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing. Factors contributing to the accident were the improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2005 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · Cedar City Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N172GW · registry record · serial 172S8289
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing, the airplane touched down, bounced, and landed hard on the nose wheel. The flight instructor was watching his student's solo flight. The instructor stated the airplane flared, and the main landing gear touched down onto the runway. After touchdown, the airplane "ballooned up," bounced twice, and the nose of the airplane went forward and struck the runway.
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: 20 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDC Cedar City UT
- Destination: CDC Cedar City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.