Cessna 172H accident near Hilo, Hawaii, October 7, 2000
On October 7, 2000 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N3715R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii (Hilo International 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
An inadvertent pilot-induced porpoise resulting from the pilot's improper landing flare and inadequate power management.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2000 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hilo, Hawaii · Hilo International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3715R · registry record · serial 17255515
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses saw the airplane touch down hard and porpoise three times during the student pilot's third landing on her first solo flight. The student pilot reported that during the initial touchdown she decreased the engine power too soon for the flare and hesitated too long. Thereafter, she should have increased engine power but said she forgot what to do. The airplane engine's firewall was found bent during a subsequent airframe inspection. The student pilot's total flight time was about 29 hours.
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: student
- Flight time: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,240 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ITO at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 5,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 178°F (81°C), dew point 154°F (68°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from ITO
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.
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.