Cessna 172 accident near Brooksville, Florida, March 9, 2025
On March 9, 2025 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2000 Cessna 172, registered N740SP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Brooksville, Florida (Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl 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 pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2025 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brooksville, Florida · Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2000 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N740SP · registry record · serial 172S8671
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on a solo instructional flight in the airport traffic pattern. She approached the runway and described that the airplane touched down on both main landing gear and that the nosewheel touched down almost immediately thereafter. The airplane then bounced three times, which each bounce being harder than the last. After the last bounce, the pilot taxied off the runway uneventfully. The underside of the airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 63 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,402.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 28, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 13,867 hours total
- Operator: American Aviation Flight Academy LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: BKV Brooksville FL at 4:18 pm
- Destination: BKV Brooksville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 4,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,100 ft; scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:36 am from KBKV
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KBKV 091536Z 23006KT 10SM SCT021 OVC031 26/20 A3002 RMK AO2 T02560200=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 10 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Side View of Propeller Blade
Photograph 2 – Front View of Propeller
Photograph 3 – Firewall and Front of Tunnel Area
Photograph 4 – Upper Portion of Firewall
Photograph 5 – Lower Right Portion of Firewall
Photograph 6 – Bottom of Forward Fuselage
Photograph 7 – Close Up of Firewall Tunnel Juncture
Photograph 8 – Forward Right Footwell
Photograph 9 – Forward Left Footwell
Photograph 10 – Nose WheelThe 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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 21, 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 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 12 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.
Other NTSB records under N740SP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.