Cessna 172P accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, May 3, 2011
On May 3, 2011 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N5460K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Pierce, Florida (St. Lucie County International 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 flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2011 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida · St. Lucie County International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5460K · no longer on the register · serial 17274126
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, who was on his third solo flight, the airplane was stable on the final leg of the traffic pattern. He increased the pitch of the airplane and began to flare when the stall warning horn sounded. The student pilot then released the back pressure on the yoke to decrease pitch before the airplane impacted the runway, causing the nosewheel to bounce and buckle and the right rudder pedal to jam to the right. The airplane then veered off the right side of the runway, coming to rest in a grass apron. During the accident sequence the airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall. During a subsequent examination of the wreckage, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector found no preexisting anomalies with the airplane, nor did the student pilot report any.
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 Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,991 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 4:10 pm
- Destination: FPR Fort Pierce FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from FPR
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.
Other NTSB records under N5460K 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.