Cessna 172S accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, August 29, 2013
On August 29, 2013 at about 11:08 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N6065P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale Executive 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 apply power to go-around following a bounced landing resulting in abnormal runway contact and collapse of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2013 · about 11:08 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N6065P · registry record · serial 172S10253
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot had flown with her instructor earlier that day and successfully performed about 5 takeoff’s and landings which included 1 go-around. She was then signed off for her first solo flight, and instructed to perform full stop taxi back landings. The student pilot stated that the flight departed and remained in the traffic pattern where on final approach she recognized the airplane was low. She applied power to level off, and noticed the airspeed was increasing so she, “…jerked the control stick.” The airplane contacted the runway, bounced, where she applied aft control, and was about to apply power but the airplane contacted the runway again causing the nose landing gear to collapse. The student pilot’s certified flight instructor who was watching and listening on a portable VHF transceiver reported observing the airplane bounce twice, and the second bounce was higher than the first. He then lost sight of the airplane and heard the student pilot’s voice on the radio, followed by a comment from the controller that help was on the way. The operator reported there was no mechanical failure or malfunction, and postaccident inspection of the flight controls by a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
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) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › (general) › (general) › Student pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Capability exceeded
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 74 hours in all; 74 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,498 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 8, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airborne Systems, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 11:03 pm
- Destination: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 11:14 pm from FXE
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.
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.