Cessna 172 accident near Naples, Florida, February 17, 2017
On February 17, 2017 at about 4:50 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 172, registered N737RT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Naples, Florida (Naples Muni airport). It was a personal 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain pitch control, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2017 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Naples, Florida · Naples Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1977 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N737RT · registry record · serial 17269622
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot on the controls reported that, during landing while about 70 knots, the airplane buffeted and was pushed to the right of the runway centerline. The pilot recovered and realigned the airplane with the nose on the centerline. He reported that, when he entered the flare, the airplane encountered another wind gust, and the airplane ballooned. The airplane descended and pitched down and landed hard on the nose gear. The propeller struck the ground, and the pilot landed the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The METAR reported that the wind was variable at 05 knots about the time of the accident. 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 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 › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 3,450 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 12, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,836 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 15,705 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 23, 2007
- Medical certificate: None (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,835.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 9, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 H2AD (piston); 880 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APF Naples FL at 3:30 pm
- Destination: APF Naples FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 6,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KAPF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 GAA17CA180.