Cessna 172I accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, March 3, 2025
On March 3, 2025 at about 10:10 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna 172I, registered N35411, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Knoxville, Tennessee (Sky Ranch 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 maintain clearance from a truck while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 2025 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Sky Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172I, built 1968 · all 172Is on the register
- Registration
- N35411 · registry record · serial 17256755
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While taxiing out for a solo flight, the student pilot misjudged his wingtip clearance with a parked truck. The airplane initially made contact with the outboard 2 ft of the right wing, then pivoted about 90° to the right while tipping to the left and contacting the ground with the propeller and left wingtip before coming to rest. The student pilot was not injured, but the airplane was substantially damaged. According to the student pilot, he was taxiing at 10 to 15 mph, when the right wing impacted the truck. He stated that “It was completely an act of my misjudgment” and that next time, he would not only proceed with more space than necessary, but he would use the most extreme caution “slowing down to a snail’s pace.”
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
- Ground collision during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 13.4 hours in all; 13.4 in this make and model; 13.4 in the last 90 days; 0.7 in the last 30 days; 1.1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,416.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 4,185 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN98 Knoxville TN at 7:50 pm
- Destination: TN98 Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01/1, 2,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KTYS, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTYS 031853Z 28007KT 10SM FEW250 13/M12 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP226 T01281117=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 18 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Front View of Main Wreckage
Photograph 2 – Left Side View
Photograph 3 – Rear View
Photograph 4 – Right Rear Quarter View
Photograph 5 – Right Side View
Photograph 6 – Right Front Quarter View
Photograph 7 – Propeller Strike
Photograph 8 – Left Wing Tip
Photograph 9 – Aft Right Wing Fuselage Juncture
Photograph 10 – Close Up of Wing Fuselage Juncture
Photograph 11 – Right Aileron
Photograph 12 – Right Wing Outboard Leading Edge
Photograph 13 – Right Wing Mid-Span Leading Edge
Photograph 14 – Underside of Inboard Right Wing
Photograph 15 – Close Up of Underside of Inboard Right Wing
Photograph 16 – Side View of Underside of Inboard Right Wing
Photograph 17 – Right Rear Corner of Truck
Photograph 18 – Close Up of Right Rear Corner of TruckThe 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
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 17, 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 19 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Security Camera Video | MOV file | 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.