Cessna 172P accident near Newport, Rhode Island, March 8, 2015
On March 8, 2015 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1982 Cessna 172P, registered N65645, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Newport, Rhode Island (Newport State 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 aircraft control during landing, and his subsequent failure to recover from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2015 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Newport, Rhode Island · Newport State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P, built 1982 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65645 · registry record · serial 17275797
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a solo flight and landing on a 2,999-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During touchdown, the airplane began to bounce, and subsequently landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the nose landing gear and firewall. The airplane veered to the left and contacted a snowbank that extended parallel to the runway. The student pilot reported that he did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He further reported 43 hours of total flight experience, all in the same make model as the accident airplane, which included 7 hours logged as pilot-in-command.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 28, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,390 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 24, 2014; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 15,675 hours total
- Operator: Interstate Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: 4B8 Plainville CT
- Destination: UUU Newport RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,999 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from UUU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 27, 2015. 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 | Photograph 1 – Post-accident View of the Airplane (Courtesy of the 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.
Other NTSB records under N65645 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.