Cessna 172 accident near Medina, Ohio, August 6, 2024
On August 6, 2024 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 172, registered N6543E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Medina, Ohio (Medina Muni 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in a runway overrun and subsequent noseover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2024 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Medina, Ohio · Medina Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1978 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6543E · no longer on the register · serial 17272033
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot and the flight instructor had completed several practice takeoffs and landings, after which the flight instructor disembarked and sent the student pilot for a solo flight in the airport traffic pattern. As the student pilot approached the runway for landing, the flight instructor stated that the airplane looked like it was “high and fast.” The airplane subsequently touched down near the midpoint of the runway and overran the departure end. The airplane nosed over during the runway excursion and sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The flight instructor 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 73.5 hours in all; 36 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,256 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 6,215 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,868 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 am from AKR, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KAKR 061515Z AUTO 23008KT 10SM SCT027 29/23 A2995 RMK AO2 RAE1459 P0000 T02890228 PWINO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane front postaccident
Photograph 2 – Vertical stabilizer and rudder postaccidentThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 2, 2024. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� FAA Inspectors Statement, Interview, Flight Instructor, Student | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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.