Cessna 172N accident near Arlington, Texas, November 9, 2005
On November 9, 2005 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5437J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arlington, Texas (Arlington Municipal 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 students improper recovery from a bounced landing. A contributing factor was the pilots excessive airspeed on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2005 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Texas · Arlington Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5437J · registry record · serial 17273794
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 47-hour student pilot was on her first supervised solo flight. While on the downwind leg for Runway 16, she observed another aircraft ahead on downwind. The student pilot elected to extend her downwind to provide additional spacing with the other aircraft in the traffic pattern. The pilot reported that while on final approach she noted she was too high and the airspeed was excessive. The airplane porpoised after initial touchdown. The pilot compensated by pushing the nose forward causing the airplane to land hard on the nose wheel. The nose strut impacted the runway with enough force to cause structural damage to the engine firewall. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunction prior to the mishap. The winds at the time of the accident were reported as variable at 4 knots.
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: 47 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GKY Arlington TX at 7:30 pm
- Destination: Arlington TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 6,080 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
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.