Cessna 172 accident near New Smyrna Beach, Florida, June 9, 2010
On June 9, 2010 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N62568, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near New Smyrna Beach, Florida (New Smyrna Beach Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 2010 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Beach, Florida · New Smyrna Beach Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N62568 · no longer on the register · serial 172S10726
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that after an uneventful local flight in the practice area, the student pilot and he returned to the airport for some landings. During the student pilot’s first landing, he flared too high and went around. The flight instructor demonstrated the subsequent landing and takeoff. He then transferred control of the airplane back to the student pilot, who flew the next traffic pattern and landing attempt. During the landing flare, the student pilot "abruptly" moved the yoke full forward. “My reaction time was not sufficient to completely correct the control inputs, which resulted in a hard nose wheel landing, followed by a pronounced bounce." The flight instructor aborted the landing, and the airplane performed as normally expected. The flight instructor then requested that the tower controllers look at the nose landing gear in flight and they reported no anomalies. After landing, the flight instructor realized that the nose wheel was flat. Upon further inspection by maintenance personnel, it was discovered that the engine firewall was wrinkled and required major repair.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,440 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 2,632 as pilot in command; 1,791 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 22, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,975 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2010; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,388 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Epic Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: EVB New Smyrna Beach FL at 5:20 pm
- Destination: EVB New Smyrna Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,319 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from EVB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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 N62568 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.