Cessna 172M accident near Miami, Florida, June 24, 2014
On June 24, 2014 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1975 Cessna 172M, registered N621AA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Miami, Florida (Kendall-Tamiami Executive airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to ensure the security of the seat prior to flight, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2014 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Kendall-Tamiami Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M, built 1975 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N621AA · registry record · serial 17265161
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting touch-and-go practice takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. She reported that during the landing flare for the final landing, her seat slid aft. The airplane ballooned and subsequently landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and cabin floor structure. The accident airplane make/model was the subject of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directive (AD) regarding seat slippage, issued three years prior to the accident. Review of the airplane's maintenance logs revealed that the airplane had received the inspections required by the AD, and examination of the seat rail and latching mechanism by an FAA inspector revealed no anomalies.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › (general) › Related maintenance info
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 245 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 139 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,323 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 30, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pilot Training Center LLC
The flight
- Departed from: TMB Miami FL at 1:31 am
- Destination: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from TMB
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.