Cessna 172 accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, January 12, 2017
On January 12, 2017 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2007 Cessna 172, registered N10897, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Punta Gorda, Florida (Punta Gorda 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 proper pitch control, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2017 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · Punta Gorda Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2007 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N10897 · registry record · serial 172S10606
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, during his solo cross-country flight, he performed touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. The student pilot reported that there was a notice to airman identifying that the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lighting was not in service at the second of three airports on his itinerary. The student pilot was cleared for a touch-and-go at the airport with no PAPI, and he reported that his landing was flat. He recalled that the airplane bounced but that he completed the touch-and-go and departed the airport for the final leg of his itinerary. He reported that he landed and shut down the airplane at his home airport, and "it was then that I noticed the bent prop tips. I immediately notified management." Further examination of the airplane by the operator revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 56.5 hours in all; 56.5 in this make and model; 14.6 in the last 90 days; 6.3 in the last 30 days; 4.6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,147.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 10, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Paragon Flight Training CO
The flight
- Departed from: PGD Punta Gorda FL at 5:00 pm
- Destination: FMY Fort Myers FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 04, 7,193 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PGD
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA17CA122.