Cessna 172 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, July 17, 2018
On July 17, 2018 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1970 Cessna 172, registered N7880G, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville 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 bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2018 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · Nashville Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 L, built 1970 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7880G · registry record · serial 17259580
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
. The pilot reported that, during his solo flight, he made an approach, but the airplane's airspeed was fast. He intended to float along the 8,000-ft-long runway, extending the distance to touchdown, because he wanted to exit at the taxiway near the end of the runway. During the landing flare, he misperceived the airplane's height above the runway because the runway was 50 ft wider than his departure airport's runway. He added that the airplane sank, touched down on the main landing gear, and then bounced. The pilot reported that he panicked and applied back pressure to the yoke, "thinking that it would slow...[the airplane] down." The airplane bounced several times, and he applied forward pressure to the yoke "to get some forward momentum to flare again," but the airplane settled on the runway. During taxi, the pilot felt something was wrong with the nosewheel but continued to taxi to the hangar. The airplane sustained substantial damage the lower engine mounts. The pilot 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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 183.3 hours in all; 152.8 in this make and model; 7.9 in the last 90 days; 6.8 in the last 30 days; 131 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 20, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,920 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 9, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 3,920 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XNX Gallatin TN at 4:50 pm
- Destination: BNA Nashville TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 02C, 8,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KBNA, 1 miles away
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 May 9, 2019. 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.
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.