Cessna 172S accident near Clarksville, Tennessee, June 17, 2021
On June 17, 2021 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2001 Cessna 172S, registered N35585, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Clarksville, Tennessee (Outlaw Fld 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 flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2021 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksville, Tennessee · Outlaw Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S, built 2001 · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N35585 · no longer on the register · serial 172S8873
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor stated that this was the first flight for the student pilot. He and the student pilot were at the controls of the airplane during the takeoff roll when the airplane veered to the left. The flight instructor announced that he had control of the airplane, attempted to apply right rudder to correct the movement, however the airplane continued toward a ditch off the side of the runway. He decided to add full power to try and take off to avoid the ditch, but the airplane struck a runway light, which resulted in the left wingtip impacting the grass. The airplane settled back onto the ground, the nose gear separated, and it came to rest in a wings level nose low attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine mount. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 753 hours in all; 591 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 724 as pilot in command; 496 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 21, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,853 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 10, 2021; 52 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05/2, 4,004 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Observation at 5:52 pm from CKV
Weather report (METAR): SA 17/06/2021 17:52-> METAR KCKV 171752Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM FEW065 31/18 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP160 T03060178 10317 20200 58007 TSNO=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 4, 2022. 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 | Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N35585 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.