Cessna 172 accident near Trenton, New Jersey, November 9, 2017
On November 9, 2017 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2003 Cessna 172, registered N2138W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trenton, New Jersey (Trenton Mercer 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2017 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Trenton, New Jersey · Trenton Mercer · 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 2003 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N2138W · registry record · serial 172S9561
- 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, during a solo flight, he stayed in the pattern and performed takeoffs and landings. During the third landing, the airplane was high, and his approach angle was steep. He reported that he reduced the power and trimmed the airplane for landing. During the touchdown, the airplane bounced twice, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin floor. 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
- 551090 during descent - normal
- 551900 during descent - normal
- 551060 during descent - normal
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 › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Ratings: none, none, none, none
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 0.2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,734 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 17, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 7,560 hours total
- Operator: Christiansen Aviation INC
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: TTN Trenton NJ
- Destination: TTN Trenton NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,006 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 55°C, dew point 43°C
- Altimeter: 30.110001 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KTTN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N2138W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 GAA18CA045.