Cessna 172 accident near Kissimmee, Florida, August 25, 2022
On August 25, 2022 at about 5:12 pm local time, a 1997 Cessna 172, registered N9968F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Kissimmee, Florida (Kissimmee Gateway airport). It was a personal 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 pilot’s improper landing flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the nose landing gear impacting the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2022 · about 5:12 pm local time
- Place
- Kissimmee, Florida · Kissimmee Gateway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 R, built 1997 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N9968F · registry record · serial 17280208
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane “bounced three times.” Following the third bounce the “nose wheel hit the runway in an abrupt manner.” This impact resulted in substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 78 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 5.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 10, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,473.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 26, 2022; 72.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Buiqui Aerospace Corp.
The flight
- Departed from: APF Naples FL at 11:40 am
- Destination: ISM Kissimmee FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from ISM
Weather report (METAR): KISM 251656Z 20007KT 10SM CLR 32/23 A3006 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT E SLP179 T03220233 PNO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 27, 2023. 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 | NTSB Form 6120.1 Page 1 with Airframe and Engine Times | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photographs | PDF, 5 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 N9968F 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.