Cessna 172RG accident near Cleveland, Mississippi, November 19, 2008
On November 19, 2008 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N941SM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cleveland, Mississippi (Cleveland 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 pilot's failure to lower the landing gear prior to touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2008 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Mississippi · Cleveland Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N941SM · registry record · serial 172RG0278
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a solo flight in preparation for a commercial rating. After three uneventful touch-and-go landings, the number of airplanes in the pattern increased from two to four or five. The pilot sequenced himself between two other training flights and inadvertently failed to lower the landing gear prior to landing. Substantial damage to the wing strut crossover bulkhead resulted. The chief flight instructor for the university flight training program reported that the accident scenario will be incorporated into the curriculum for all students.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 291 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 204 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 28, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,144 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 23, 2008; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,658 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta State University
The flight
- Departed from: RNV Cleveland MS at 9:30 pm
- Destination: RNV Cleveland MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:15 pm from KRNV
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA09CA071.