Cessna 172 accident near Wilmington, Delaware, September 7, 2020
On September 7, 2020 at about 7:42 pm local time, a 1972 Cessna 172, registered N19813, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Wilmington, Delaware (New Castle 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 bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2020 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmington, Delaware · New Castle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1972 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N19813 · registry record · serial 17260776
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting his first solo cross country flight. During the landing flare at the destination airport, he reduced engine power, and the airplane touched down “firmly” then bounced back into the air. It bounced 3 to 4 more times before it came to rest on the runway. The pilot also stated that “each bounce and touch down were worse …. than the previous.” Subsequently, he taxied the airplane to a hangar and egressed without issue. After the accident, an examination of the airframe found that the fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 74 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,710.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 1,806 hours total
- Operator: Boeing Employees Flying Assn Inc
The flight
- Departed from: WWD Wilwood NJ at 8:40 am
- Runway 19, 7,012 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from ILG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.