Cessna 172P accident near Baltimore, Maryland, July 6, 2011
On July 6, 2011 at about 5:12 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N65659, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Baltimore, Maryland (Martin State 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 failure to maintain aircraft control following a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2011 · about 5:12 pm local time
- Place
- Baltimore, Maryland · Martin State Airport · 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
- N65659 · no longer on the register · serial 17275805
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that during the fifth landing of the solo instructional flight, the airplane landed hard left of the runway centerline, bounced, touched down a second time, and departed the left side of the runway. During the roll-out in the grass, the nose wheel dug into the ground, the airplane nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of photographs revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the accident 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,409 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 2011
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Middle River Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MTN Baltimore MD at 4:30 pm
- Destination: MTN Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,996 ft by 180 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from KMTN
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 N65659 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.