Cessna 172 accident near New Bedford, Massachusetts, March 29, 2018
On March 29, 2018 at about 1:35 pm local time, a 1999 Cessna 172, registered N803BW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near New Bedford, Massachusetts (New Bedford Rgnl 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 a proper landing flare, which resulted in a porpoised landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2018 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- New Bedford, Massachusetts · New Bedford Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 R, built 1999 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N803BW · no longer on the register · serial 17280773
- 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 a solo flight, as he flared for landing, the airplane "hit" the runway hard. He added that the airplane porpoised about 7 or 8 times before settling on the runway. He then taxied the airplane to the parking ramp with no further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) 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 › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 77 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,961 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 19, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 L2A (piston); 6,177 hours total
- Operator: Bridgewater State University
The flight
- Departed from: EWB New Bedford MA at 12:00 pm
- Destination: EWB New Bedford MA
- Runway 32, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KEWB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 12, 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 |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N803BW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.