Cessna R172K accident near Brooksville, Florida, December 16, 2022
On December 16, 2022 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna R172K, registered N5405V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Brooksville, Florida (Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A hard landing that fractured the nose landing gear assembly, resulting in a loss of directional control and a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2022 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Brooksville, Florida · Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K, built 1977 · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N5405V · registry record · serial R1722294
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he made a normal touchdown, but he was unable to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll. He reported that the airplane did not respond to his control inputs, and it veered off the left side of the runway, struck a ditch, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A tower controller initially reported to local law enforcement that the airplane bounced on landing, but he later recanted his statement. Examination of the wreckage revealed the nose wheel was separated and the nose gear fork assembly was fractured. A metallurgical examination of the fractured pieces of the nose gear revealed fracture surfaces with features consistent with overstress fracture. Flight control continuity was confirmed, and the remainder of the examination revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the physical evidence, the landing gear likely fractured during a hard landing, causing the loss of directional control.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,368 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2022; 106 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:31 pm from BKV
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KBKV 162031Z 02004KT 10SM SCT110 20/04 A3002 RMK AO2 T02000039
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA23LA091.