Cessna 172M accident near Leesburg, Florida, September 19, 2014
On September 19, 2014 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 172M, registered N13394, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Leesburg, Florida (Leesburg International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and his subsequent loss of directional control during landing on a wet runway for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2014 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Florida · Leesburg International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M M, built 1973 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13394 · registry record · serial 17262725
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. The instructor stated that the runway was wet from rain earlier in the day. During the fifth landing, the student landed the airplane right of the runway centerline. The flight instructor described the landing as "soft" and "slow." The student applied left rudder to steer the airplane back toward the centerline, but the airplane continued to drift left. The flight instructor stated that he took the flight controls, applied left rudder, and then applied left brake, but the airplane "did not respond." The airplane subsequently ran off the left side of the runway, impacted a sign, and came to rest upright about 250 ft past the runway edge. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the firewall sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the landing gear, wheels, brakes, rudder controls, and nosewheel steering 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
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 › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 413 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 325 as pilot in command; 132 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 20 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,848.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 23, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 5,848 hours total
- Operator: Apopka Aviation & Flight Services
The flight
- Departed from: X04 Apopka FL at 1:30 pm
- Destination: LEE Leesburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 6,300 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KLEE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.