Cessna 172N accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, May 22, 2025
On May 22, 2025 at about 4:40 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 172N, registered N6317D, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Murfreesboro 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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while attempting to take off in a gusty crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2025 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee · Murfreesboro Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1979 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6317D · registry record · serial 17272715
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was attempting to take off in a left quartering crosswind with significant gusts. During the takeoff roll, the wind struck the airplane hard, and the pilot attempted to correct with rudder input, but overcompensated. The airplane then turned left into the wind and departed the paved runway surface before it impacted runway lights and terrain. The airplane’s fuselage and left wing strut were substantially damaged during the runway excursion. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of 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
- Runway excursion during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,220 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 25, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jkg LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 4,750 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from MQY, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMQY 221656Z 29013G18KT 10SM FEW100 24/09 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP182 T02390094
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Left aft quarter view of airplane at rest. Note collapsed left landing gear.
Photograph 2 – Closeup view of left side of airplane damage.
Photograph 3 – View of tire skid marks into the grass of the left side of the runway.
Photograph 4 – View of damaged runway light.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
6 documents, released by the NTSB on November 14, 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's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspectors Overhead Graphic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Airport Security Video of Accident | AVI file | Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 5 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 N6317D 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.