Cessna 172 accident near Elizabeth City, North Carolina, June 16, 2024
On June 16, 2024 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 2011 Cessna 172, registered N92970, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elizabeth City, North Carolina (Elizabeth City Cg Air Station/ 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2024 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina · Elizabeth City Cg Air Station/ · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 SP, built 2011 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N92970 · registry record · serial 172S11124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that when attempting to land she entered ground effect and flared too early. The airplane began to float, then touched down hard and bounced. The pilot subsequently overcorrected and struck the tail before the airplane bounced again landing hard on the nose landing gear. After the second bounce the pilot aborted the landing and returned for a subsequent uneventful landing. Examination of the airplane following the accident revealed that the airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged. 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
- 551090 during descent - normal
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
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 83 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 22, 2024
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,065.6 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, May 21, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 2,982 hours total
- Operator: Elizabeth City State University
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 7,219 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 82°C, dew point 57°C
- Altimeter: 30.219999 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from ECG
Weather report (METAR): METAR KECG 161554Z 12009KT 10SM CLR 28/14 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP234 T02830139
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 ERA24LA319.