Cessna 172 accident near Monroe, North Carolina, December 3, 2018
On December 3, 2018 at about 11:05 pm local time, a 1982 Cessna 172, registered N65773, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monroe, North Carolina (Charlotte-Monroe Executive 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and nose landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2018 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Monroe, North Carolina · Charlotte-Monroe Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 P, built 1982 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N65773 · registry record · serial 17275876
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that, upon touchdown, he maintained aft pressure on the control yoke to keep the nose landing gear (NLG) off the runway, but the airplane bounced. The main landing gear touched down again hard, followed by the NLG, which then collapsed, and the left wing impacted the grass adjacent the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student 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
- 550090 during descent
- 550094 during descent
- 550470 during descent
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
- Ratings: none, none, none, none
- Flight time: 15 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerowood Aviation
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: EQY Monroe NC at 10:15 pm
- Destination: EQY Monroe NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 7,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°C, dew point 36°C
- Altimeter: 29.809999 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KEQY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N65773 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA19CA087.