Cessna 172M accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, March 15, 2013
On March 15, 2013 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61756, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Hendersonville, North Carolina (W.N.C. Air Museum 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 control of the airplane during an attempted go-around in gusty tailwind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2013 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Hendersonville, North Carolina · W.N.C. Air Museum Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61756 · no longer on the register · serial 17264778
- 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 an attempted landing on runway 14, he “could not get the plane to settle on the ground.” About halfway down the runway, the airplane “ballooned,” and the student pilot elected to perform a go-around. He applied full engine power and decreased the flap setting in an attempt to gain altitude, but the airplane impacted power lines off the left side of the runway and came to rest on top of a hangar, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Reported wind at an airport 9 miles to the northwest of the accident location, about the time of the accident, was from 250 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Not specified
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Blue Ridge Sport Flight LLC
The flight
- Departed from: AND Anderson SC at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 8NC9 Hendersonville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from AVL, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 10, 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 | Student Pilot Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Henderson County Deputy Report and Witness Statements | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Avl Weather Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Overhead View of Airport (Google) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1: View of Airplane at Rest (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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N61756: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,686 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- W N C Air Museum Airport · nearest airport
- Anderson Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,123 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13CA170.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.