Cessna 172 accident near Miami, Florida, August 6, 2021
On August 6, 2021 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 172, registered N5412D, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Miami, Florida (Miami Executive 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 flight instructor to maintain the proper rate of descent during the aborted takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2021 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1979 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5412D · no longer on the register · serial 17272565
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that the accident flight was flight lesson 1 with the student and her first flight as a flight instructor. The winds were forecast to be variable at 4 knots and the flight taxied to the active runway to complete preflight tasks. After a normal engine run up, the flight was instructed to line-up and wait for a Cessna Caravan that had just departed. After being cleared for takeoff, the flight instructor initiated the takeoff roll and at 60 knots, rotated. When the flight was about 20 to 30 ft above the runway, they experienced a very strong rolling force to the left, which she attempted to correct with a considerable amount of right aileron and right rudder. She then reduced power to abort the takeoff, but the airplane impacted the runway hard and bounced twice, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. She taxied off the runway and the airplane was towed to the maintenance hangar. A pilot who had flown the airplane earlier that day reported the airplane flew “ok” with no discrepancies reported. The flight instructor reported and a post-accident examination corroborated that, there were no pre-accident 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
- Abnormal runway contact during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Unknown/Not determined
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 206.3 hours in all; 82.9 in this make and model; 1.3 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 132.4 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 12, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 232.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 2, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9R, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KTMB
Weather report (METAR): KTMB 061453Z 16006KT 10SM CLR 32/23 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP202 T03170228 51012
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 May 5, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Statement from Student | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversations with Attached Statement from Flight Instructor | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record - Flight Control and Damage Information | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.