Cessna 172S accident near Scottsdale, Arizona, July 29, 2001
On July 29, 2001 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N3532T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Scottsdale, Arizona (Scottsdale 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, which lead to a hard landing, inadvertent porpoise, and his improper recovery from 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 29, 2001 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Scottsdale, Arizona · Scottsdale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N3532T · registry record · serial 172S8820
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After touchdown the airplane bounced into the air, landed hard, and collapsed the nose landing gear. The purpose of the flight was to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The pilot had been conducting closed pattern work for an hour, and indicated that there were no mechanical difficulties with the airplane.
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: 245 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 3, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 177 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 13, 2001; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Destination: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,249 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from SDL
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.