Cessna 172P accident near Clarksville, Tennessee, February 3, 2025
On February 3, 2025 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1982 Cessna 172P, registered N62112, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Clarksville, Tennessee (Outlaw Fld 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 flight instructor’s inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane, which allowed the partially secured engine cowl to separate in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2025 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksville, Tennessee · Outlaw Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P, built 1982 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N62112 · registry record · serial 17275214
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot, who was on his second instructional flight, departed the airport and climbed to 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl) before leveling off. Suddenly, the top engine cowling partially detached, blocking the view of both pilots. The flight instructor declared an emergency and returned to the airport for landing. During the landing attempt with reduced visibility, the airplane touched down hard, exited the paved runway surface, and impacted terrain. The left wing sustained damage to the aileron and spar. The operator stated that the airplane was out of service in maintenance for a broken oil servicing door. The instructor reported that the airplane was not listed as being out of service for maintenance and that he checked it out before he conducted, “a brief preflight inspection.” Postaccident examination of the airplane showed that the engine cowling detached with 50% of the fasteners unserviceable due to worn receivers. A proper preflight inspection of the airplane, which is the responsibility of the pilot in command (in this case, the flight instructor), would have revealed the engine cowl anomaly.
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)
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Aerodynamic fairings structure › Inadequate inspection
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 836 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 743 as pilot in command; 530 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 10, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 10,240 hours total
- Operator: Midtn Aviation Academy LLC
The flight
- Runway 17/3, 5,999 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from CKV
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCKV 031952Z AUTO 21010G20KT 10SM CLR 23/11 A2992 RMK AO2 PK WND 20026/1935 SLP130 T02280106=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of damaged left wing.
Photograph 2 – View of damaged left aileron.
Photograph 3 – View of top of left wing damage.The 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
9 documents, released by the NTSB on December 10, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Instructors Clarification Statement V02 | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record - Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum for Record - Chief Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for Record - Security Video Request | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Video of Accident | TS file | Download |
| 9 | Photo Array_airplane Damage | PDF, 4 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.