Cessna 172RG accident near Mobile, Alabama, October 11, 2012
On October 11, 2012 at about 4:04 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4939V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mobile, Alabama (Mobile Downtown 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 pilot’s failure to perform the before landing checklist and extend the landing gear before touchdown. Contributing to the accident was the designated pilot examiner’s inadequate remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2012 · about 4:04 pm local time
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama · Mobile Downtown Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4939V · registry record · serial 172RG0420
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to complete a commercial single-engine land checkride with a designated pilot examiner. During the straight-in landing approach, the pilot selected full flaps and reduced the engine power to idle in order to descend but did not use the before landing checklist and did not extend the landing gear. When the airplane was over the runway threshold, the pilot verified that the throttle was at idle and began to flare. Neither the pilot nor the designated pilot examiner verified that the landing gear was extended before the landing. The airplane landed on the runway without the landing gear extended, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Both pilots reported that they did not hear the landing gear warning horn before landing. According to a mechanic, when the battery switch was turned on during the recovery of the airplane, the landing gear warning horn sounded normally. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had completed the before landing checklist.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 343 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 238 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 16, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,290 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-E1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Training Of Mobile LLC
The flight
- Departed from: BFM Mobile AL at 2:00 pm
- Destination: BFM Mobile AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 9,618 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 4:19 pm from BFM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on February 1, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Designated Pilot Examiner Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Mechanic Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Cessna 172RG Before Landing Checklist | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Bfm Weather Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 1: Damage to Underside of Fuselage (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.