Cessna 172 accident near Spring Hill, Florida, August 22, 2025
On August 22, 2025 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 2000 Cessna 172, registered N2460A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Spring Hill, 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
- August 22, 2025 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Spring Hill, 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 R, built 2000 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N2460A · registry record · serial 17280932
- 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 his second solo flight in the airport traffic pattern practicing takeoffs and landings. During his second touch-and-go attempt, as he was landing, the airplane bounced several times, resulting in substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. The pilot stated 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
- Hard landing during landing 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 › Pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 28.6 hours in all; 28.6 in this make and model; 5.8 in the last 90 days; 1.5 in the last 30 days; 1.1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,279 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 17, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Aviation INC
The flight
- Runway 27, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from BKV
Weather report (METAR): KBKV 222353Z 24003KT 10SM FEW090 28/24 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP140 T02830239 10322 20283 53005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on November 20, 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot and Instructor Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Student Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2460A 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.