Cessna 172P accident near Sebastian, Florida, April 17, 2015
On April 17, 2015 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1983 Cessna 172P, registered N66090, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Sebastian, Florida (Sebastian Municipal Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's misjudged airspeed and glidepath, which resulted in a landing area overshoot and runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2015 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sebastian, Florida · Sebastian Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P, built 1983 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N66090 · registry record · serial 17275963
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that due to other traffic ahead in the airport traffic pattern, he purposely entered a high right base leg for runway 10, a 3,199-foot-long asphalt runway. The airplane remained high during the approach and the pilot attempted to land on the last one-half of the runway; however, the airplane was also too fast as the pilot had selected only 10 degrees of flap extension. The airplane subsequently touched down near the end of the runway, traveled over an approximate 500-foot grass area beyond the end of the runway, and struck a fence before coming to rest upright. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The inspector did not observe any preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, nor did the pilot report any. The recorded wind near the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 040 degrees at 7 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
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,168 hours in all; 688 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 788 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 7, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,096 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 2015; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 10,151 hours total
- Operator: Deland Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MTH Marathon FL at 4:15 pm
- Destination: X26 Sebastian FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 3,199 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from VRB, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N66090 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.