Cessna 172 - S accident near Traverse City, Michigan, June 25, 2015
On June 25, 2015 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 2011 Cessna 172 - S, registered N195NW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Traverse City, Michigan (Cherry Capital Airport- Traver). 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 student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2015 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Traverse City, Michigan · Cherry Capital Airport- Traver · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 - S S, built 2011 · all 172 - Ss on the register
- Registration
- N195NW · registry record · serial 172S11095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a written statement provided by the flight instructor, the solo student pilot porpoised during the landing, came to a full stop, and taxied to the ramp. A post-flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall, the underside of the fuselage, and the floor under the rudder pedals. The flight instructor 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
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
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 46 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 23, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,383.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 23, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 58 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCAD Cadillac MI at 2:00 pm
- Destination: KTVC Traverse City MI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 5,378 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KTVC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.