Cessna 172 accident near Gulf Shores, Alabama, November 10, 2008
On November 10, 2008 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N172PA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Gulf Shores, Alabama (Jack Edwards Airport). It was a personal 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 improper flare during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 2008 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Shores, Alabama · Jack Edwards Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N172PA · registry record · serial 17269467
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the Cessna 172N, while completing touch-and-go landings, the airplane bounced on the first landing. She took off again and completed another "loop" in the pattern. The pilot returned to land at the airport a second time, which was "very smooth." She taxied the airplane back to the hangar, shut down the engine, exited the airplane, and saw the propeller was bent a "small amount." The pilot was unaware of the propeller strike; she did not hear or see anything abnormal during the second takeoff and landing. An examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed wrinkling of the lower firewall and fuselage skin, and both propeller blades bent aft, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 107 hours in all; 98 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 12, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Porsche PFM3200N03 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JKA Gulf Shores AL
- Destination: JKA Gulf Shores AL
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27, 6,962 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: vv; clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from BFM, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.