Cessna 172 accident near Defuniak Springs, Florida, May 19, 2018
On May 19, 2018 at about 10:20 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 172, registered N12267, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Defuniak Springs, Florida (Defuniak Springs 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 directional control during the aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2018 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Defuniak Springs, Florida · Defuniak Springs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1973 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N12267 · no longer on the register · serial 17261911
- 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, he was performing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings following his first cross-country solo flight. He reported that, during his last landing, the airplane touched down "all the way to the right side of the runway," so he aborted the landing. He shut off the carburetor heat and applied power, and the airplane's nose pitched up and turned left. The airplane impacted the grass safety area on the left side of the runway in a nose-down attitude. The airplane came to rest inverted after striking a drainage culvert and sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift strut and aileron. The student reported that there were no 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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Roll over during takeoff
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 › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 24, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,123.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 20, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 889 hours total
- Operator: Onvoi LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: 54J Defuniak Springs FL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 54J Defuniak Springs FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,146 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 10:22 pm from KCEW, 19 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 October 4, 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 - Student Pilot and CFI | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.