Cessna R172E accident near Fort Meade, Maryland, March 26, 2015
On March 26, 2015 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna R172E, registered N7889N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Fort Meade, Maryland (Tipton 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 decision to land the airplane without sufficient runway to stop, resulting in a runway excursion and substantial damage to the right wing of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2015 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Meade, Maryland · Tipton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172E E, built 1967 · all R172Es on the register
- Registration
- N7889N · registry record · serial R172-0280
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor, while giving instruction, stated he landed the tricycle landing gear equipped airplane at midfield in wind conditions that were reported from the SSW gusting to 23knots. Following a runway excursion on to soft terrain, the pilot said the airplane had come to a stop, undamaged, when "the nose wheel sank and the right wingtip contacted the dirt." Witnesses reported that the airplane touched down midfield, braked hard, and did not come to a complete stop prior to the airplanes right wing striking the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to flight that would have prevented 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 landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Landing distance › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 14, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 7 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 26, 2014; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360 SER (piston); 1,836 hours total
- Operator: United States Air Force Owner
The flight
- Departed from: KFME Fort Meade MD at 8:40 pm
- Destination: KFME Fort Meade MD
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 28, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from BWI, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on July 20, 2015. 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 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector (Hunte) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Pilot Conversation (Williamson) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Follow Up Fort Meade Flying Activity (Fmfa) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record - Weather (Kbwi) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1 - Right Wing (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2 - Inboard Right Wing (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | 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.