Cessna 172 accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma, October 26, 2007
On October 26, 2007 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5181A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma (Stillwater 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 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
- October 26, 2007 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Stillwater, Oklahoma · Stillwater Muni · 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
- N5181A · registry record · serial 17281102
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 28-hour student pilot landed hard and encountered a porpoise while performing a touch-and-go landing on Runway 35. The pilot reported that on this approach, he had been instructed to follow a twin-engine airplane on final approach and he maintained a final approach speed that was 10 knots higher than normal. The airplane landed hard, bounced, and the airplane entered porpoise, touching down several times. During one of the landings, the airplane pivoted enough to allow the propeller to contact the runway. In the completed NTSB Form 6120 provided by the student pilot, he recommended that to prevent further accidents, ATC controllers should not place student pilots between faster aircraft in the traffic pattern, where the student pilots may feel rushed. The pilot also recommended additional training in straight-in approaches. The winds at the time of the mishap were reported from 060 degrees at 3 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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 28 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,225 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVJ Pauls Valley OK at 2:10 pm
- Destination: SWO Stillwater OK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 7,401 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from SWO
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 N5181A 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.