Cessna 172 accident near Kapolei, Hawaii, October 5, 2016
On October 5, 2016 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1997 Cessna 172, registered N429ES, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Kapolei, Hawaii (Kalaeloa (John Rodgers Field)). It was a personal 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 pilot’s use of an excessive pitch attitude during the landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2016 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kapolei, Hawaii · Kalaeloa (John Rodgers Field) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 R, built 1997 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N429ES · registry record · serial 17280296
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing flare he pitched up "higher than what is normal" and the airplane bounced three times during the touchdown. The pilot further reported that he was able to taxi the airplane to the ramp, but he noticed the nose wheel was flat. During a 100-hour maintenance inspection conducted a week later, it was revealed that the firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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 › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,034 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,302 as pilot in command; 831 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 31, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 2016
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LIH Lihue HI at 8:00 pm
- Destination: JRF Kapolei HI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04L, 4,500 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PHNL, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 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 | Record of Conversation - Chief Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident 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.