Cessna 172 accident near Wellington, Florida, July 19, 2020
On July 19, 2020 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna 172, registered N1655V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Wellington, Florida (Wellington Aero Club A/P airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate compensation for a wind gust during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2020 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Wellington, Florida · Wellington Aero Club A/P · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1974 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1655V · no longer on the register · serial 17263704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a local flight, the pilot reported that the wind at the airport was light and variable. After flying a normal traffic pattern, she crossed the runway threshold on final approach and reduced the power to land. Upon touchdown, the airplane “was hit by a strong gust of wind.” The airplane then pitched up to a “very high nose up attitude.” The stall warning horn activated and the pilot attempted to recover; however, the airplane impacted the runway in a nose low attitude, seriously injuring the pilot and substantially damaging to the forward portion of the airplane’s fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 72 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 27, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,824 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 11, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 3,820 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FD38 Wellington FL at 2:44 pm
- Destination: FD38 Wellington FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,055 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KPBI, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Main Wreckage (FAA Photo)
Photo 2 - Main Wreckage (FAA Photo)
Photo 3 – Forward Fuselage (FAA Photo)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
6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 12, 2021. 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's Written Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts - Airframe Logbook | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts - Engine Logbook | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1655V: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,691 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 259 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wellington Aero Club Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,708 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA20CA256.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.