Cessna 172R accident near Addison, Texas, June 6, 2015
On June 6, 2015 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 2006 Cessna 172R, registered N178AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Addison, Texas (Addison 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 student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing touchdown, 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 6, 2015 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Addison, Texas · Addison · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R R, built 2006 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N178AF · registry record · serial 17281177
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that during the first landing touchdown, the airplane porpoised, and she elected to abort the landing. She reported that during the second landing touchdown at a different airport, the airplane "started to bounce very hard." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall and to the floor panels underneath the rudder pedals. The student pilot 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 (flare/touchdown) 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: 54 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,172.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 29, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 7,654 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLR Sulphur Springs TX at 7:30 pm
- Destination: ADS Addison TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 7,203 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from KADS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 5, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 - Firewall (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 - Left Floor Board (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 3 - Right Floor Board (Photo 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.
Other NTSB records under N178AF 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.