Cessna 172N accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, August 3, 2013
On August 3, 2013 at about 3:45 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 172N, registered N737PD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville Downtown Island 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 and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2013 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Knoxville Downtown Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1977 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N737PD · no longer on the register · serial 17269561
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that she was practicing takeoffs and landings. During landing, the airplane touched down hard and bounced back into the air. It then stalled and porpoised several times, before the nosegear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any. The inspector observed damage to the propeller, nosegear assembly, and firewall. The recorded weather near the accident site, about the time of the accident, was a headwind at 8 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,993 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 19, 2013; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 10,711 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DKX Knoxville TN at 3:30 pm
- Destination: DKX Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,499 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from TYS, 12 miles away
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.