Cessna 172P accident near Tamuning, April 17, 2015
On April 17, 2015 at about 9:20 am local time, a 1986 Cessna 172P, registered N9853L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tamuning (Guam Intl 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2015 · about 9:20 am local time
- Place
- Tamuning · Guam Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P P, built 1986 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9853L · registry record · serial 17276639
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that during the landing flare, he landed hard. He reported that he performed a go-around and then landed without further incident. A post flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The operator reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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
- 551092 during descent - normal
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Ratings: none, none, none, none
- Flight time: 115 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,443.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 13, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 11,061 hours total
- Operator: Trend Vector Aviation Int
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: GUM Tamuning at 7:55 am
- Destination: GUM Tamuning
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06R, 10,014 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°C, dew point 73°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from PGUM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9853L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA15CA058.