Cessna 172N accident near Chandler, Arizona, November 2, 1999
On November 2, 1999 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N98909, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Chandler Municipal 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 pilot's misjudged landing flare and failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin, which resulted in a stall/mush and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 1999 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Chandler Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N98909 · no longer on the register · serial 17276377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he flared high and the airplane landed flat on all three landing gear and bounced three times. The nose tire went flat and the propeller contacted the ground. Subsequent inspection revealed the firewall was buckled. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the hard landing.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 56 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,811 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 1999; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 6:30 pm
- Destination: CHD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4L, 4,401 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from IWA, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N98909 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.