Cessna 172P accident near Bardstown, Kentucky, March 4, 2013
On March 4, 2013 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N89847, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bardstown, Kentucky (Bardstown 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 during a crosswind landing, 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
- March 4, 2013 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bardstown, Kentucky · Bardstown · 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
- N89847 · no longer on the register · serial 17276014
- 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 first solo cross-country flight, wind at the destination airport was from 120 degrees at 6 knots, so he chose to land on runway 20. Abeam the intended point of landing, the student pilot reduced power, added 10 degrees of flaps, and obtained the desired descent airspeed. He maintained that airspeed on the base leg, and, turning onto final, noted that the airplane was high. The student pilot then lowered the flaps completely while continuing to maintain the desired approach airspeed. The student pilot stated that, shortly afterward, the airplane “ballooned,” and then “dropped immediately” and impacted the runway in a nose-low attitude. He reported that the stall warning horn sounded from "slightly before” the airplane “ballooned” until it impacted the runway. The student pilot did not report any preexisting preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Postflight examinations revealed a collapsed nose landing gear and firewall damage.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,060 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastern Kentucky University
The flight
- Departed from: I39 Richmond KY at 9:52 pm
- Destination: BRY Bardstown KY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 5,003 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N89847 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.