Cessna 172 accident near Diamondhead, Mississippi, June 22, 2018
On June 22, 2018 at about 11:59 am local time, a 1972 Cessna 172, registered N7239Q, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Diamondhead, Mississippi (Diamondhead airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to retract the flaps following landing and the stall/mush that resulted during the subsequent full-flap takeoff and initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2018 · about 11:59 am local time · cases in 2018
- Place
- Diamondhead, Mississippi · Diamondhead · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 L, built 1972 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7239Q · no longer on the register · serial 17260539
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot obtained his first solo endorsement 10 days before the accident after he had accrued about 165 hours of flight experience. On the day of the accident, he was performing solo traffic pattern work, which included full-stop landings and then taxiing back for each subsequent takeoff. However, interpolation of radar data and the timing of the call to report the accident indicated that the pilot had performed a touch-and-go landing before the accident takeoff and flight. A witness described the airplane at a low altitude and airspeed as it crossed, at treetop height, an interstate highway immediately beyond the departure end of the runway. The airplane then disappeared below the trees. Examination of the wreckage site and the airplane wreckage revealed evidence consistent with engine power at impact and no preimpact mechanical anomaly. Measurement of the exposed threads of the flap actuator corresponded with a full-flap, 40° extension setting. According to the manufacturer's owner's manual, "flap settings of 30° to 40° are not recommended at any time for take-off." Thus, because the pilot took off with 40° of flaps, the airplane was unable to attain the normal climb speed and entered a stall/mush from which the pilot could not recover because of the low altitude.
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 in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › TE flap control system › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the flight controls
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 169 hours in all; 169 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,898 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 66Y Diamondhead MS at 11:59 am
- Destination: 66Y Diamondhead MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from KHSA, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 6 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – View of Main Wreckage as Found (FAA)
Photo 2 – View of Left Wing Leading Edge as Found (FAA)
Photo 3 – View of Engine after Recovery (Lycoming)
Photo 4 – View of Flap Actuator as Found (FAA)
Photo 5 – View of Angular Cut to Fractured Tree Trunk at Site (FAA)
Photo 6 – View of Angularly Cut Tree Trunk Sections at Site (FAA)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 2019. 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 | Record of Interview | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statement | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Summary FAA | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Interview Summary NTSB | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Records - Annual Inspection | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | POH Excerpts | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7239Q: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 258 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Diamondhead Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Mississippi 845 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Mississippi 2,601 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA18FA174.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.