Cessna 172 accident near Silver City, New Mexico, January 26, 2018
On January 26, 2018 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 172, registered N1046F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Silver City, New Mexico (Whiskey Creek airport). 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 student pilot’s improper landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, 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
- January 26, 2018 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Silver City, New Mexico · Whiskey Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1980 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1046F · no longer on the register · serial 17272937
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, while landing during a solo flight, a wind gust pushed the airplane to the right side of the runway, and he was "unable to recover." The airplane landed hard, bounced, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located 8 nautical miles south-southeast from the airport revealed that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 280° at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots. The airplane landed on runway 35.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Hard landing during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 21 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 8.6 in the last 90 days; 5.3 in the last 30 days; 8.6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,212 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,307 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 8,212 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAD Safford AZ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 94E Silver City NM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 5,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from KSVC, 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 September 13, 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 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photos | 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.