Cessna 172R accident near Westminster, Maryland, November 16, 2015
On November 16, 2015 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1999 Cessna 172R, registered N26499, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Westminster, Maryland (Carroll County Rgnl/Jack B Poa 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 student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing, which resulted 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
- November 16, 2015 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Westminster, Maryland · Carroll County Rgnl/Jack B Poa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R R, built 1999 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N26499 · registry record · serial 17280730
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that during landing, the student pilot landed the airplane on its main landing gear, the airplane bounced, and then landed flat on the main landing gear and nose wheel at the same time. At the end of the instructional lesson, the airplane landed at the flight school without further incident. A hard landing was reported to the maintenance department and a postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The flight instructor reported there were 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 Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 481 hours in all; 269 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 378 as pilot in command; 12 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 15 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,922.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-LZA (piston); 3,896 hours total
- Operator: Empire Aviation And Leasing LLC
The flight
- Departed from: DMW Westminster MD at 4:20 pm
- Destination: DMW Westminster MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from KDMW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 3, 2016. 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 | Accident Photo | 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.