Cessna 172 accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, March 17, 2020
On March 17, 2020 at about 7:35 pm local time, a 2005 Cessna 172, registered N66046, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near West Palm Beach, Florida (Palm Beach County Park 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 failure of the nosewheel steerage linkage during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of directional control and impact with an obstacle during an attempted aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2020 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida · Palm Beach County Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2005 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N66046 · registry record · serial 172S9786
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, after a normal preflight inspection and engine run-up, the student pilot taxied to the runway for takeoff and began the takeoff roll. Everything seemed normal as the airplane accelerated; however, as the airplane rotated, it started to yaw left. The instructor attempted to assist the student correct the left yaw by applying right rudder. He was unable to correct the left yaw, so he took over the flight controls and aborted the takeoff. The airplane bounced to the left and impacted a retention pond bank. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane reported that the forward fuselage and firewall were buckled, that the nosewheel steerage linkage was broken, and that rust was noted on the fractured surfaces.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff defining event
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Abnormal runway contact during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear steering system › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 318 hours in all; 318 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 249 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 11, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 55 hours in all; 55 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,025.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 16, 2020; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 5,776 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNA West Palm Beach FL at 7:35 pm
- Destination: LNA West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 3,489 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KPB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 24, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot and Student Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record FAA Telephone Correspondence | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | 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.