Cessna 172 accident near Ormond Beach, Florida, December 26, 2019
On December 26, 2019 at about 3:35 pm local time, a 2005 Cessna 172, registered N882TC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Ormond Beach, Florida (Ormond Beach Municipal 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 improper landing flare, 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
- December 26, 2019 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Ormond Beach, Florida · Ormond Beach Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2005 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N882TC · registry record · serial 172S9880
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, during his first solo flight and as the airplane approached to land, he flared too early. Instead of performing a go-around, the student pitched the airplane's nose down, which resulted in a hard landing on the nosewheel first. The airplane subsequently bounced, landed on the main wheels, and then stopped on the runway. The firewall and lower fuselage sustained substantial damage. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and that the student did not report any.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 21 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,419.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 9, 2019; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 6,525 hours total
- Operator: Phoenix East Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 3:25 pm
- Destination: OMN Ormond Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,704 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from OMN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 7, 2020. 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, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | 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.
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.