Cessna 172 accident near Delta, Utah, August 30, 2016
On August 30, 2016 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 172, registered N734AV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Delta, Utah (Delta Muni 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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, porpoised landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2016 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delta, Utah · Delta Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1977 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N734AV · no longer on the register · serial 17268710
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, following the first leg of his solo cross-country flight, he entered the traffic pattern to land on runway 17 "because other traffic was using runway 17 even though winds were 050° at 3 knots." He reported that, as the airplane approached the runway, the airspeed was too high, and the airplane landed hard on the nosewheel and porpoised. He conceded, "I knew it was a hard landing, but did not hear the prop strike occur." The student pilot departed the airport and accomplished two approaches and a landing at a third airport before returning to his home airport where he accomplished two approaches, a landing, and then taxied to parking. The student pilot reported that he could have prevented the accident by performing a go-around when he realized that his approach speed was too high. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the engine or airframe 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
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 › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on equipment
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 54.4 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 28.8 in the last 90 days; 25.5 in the last 30 days; 11.1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,227.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 377 hours total
- Operator: Upper Limit Aviation, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: DTA Delta UT at 3:30 pm
- Destination: DTA Delta UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,502 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 22, 2017. 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 (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.