Cessna 172 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, November 26, 2017
On November 26, 2017 at about 8:07 pm local time, a 2015 Cessna 172, registered N452ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Daytona Beach, Florida (Daytona Beach Intl 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 pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 2017 · about 8:07 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Daytona Beach Intl · 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 2015 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N452ER · no longer on the register · serial 172S11586
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The director of aviation safety at the flight school reported that the airplane received substantial damage to the fuselage after a hard landing. Four days before finding the damage, the airplane had been used by the accident pilot for a flight toward his commercial training. After completing the training flight, no discrepancies were declared. Data from the airplane's flight data management unit showed that the airplane landed flat on the runway, which resulted in subsequent bounces. The director of aviation safety of the flight school reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 280° at 3 knots. The pilot landed on runway 25R.
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 › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 193 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 26, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,354.8 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 8, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 7,309 hours total
- Operator: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University INC
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 25R, 10,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 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 February 5, 2018. 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 | Accident Pictures (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | 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.