Cessna 172P accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, April 4, 2003
On April 4, 2003 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N553CH, was destroyed in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the applicant pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2003 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- North Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N553CH · no longer on the register · serial 17275168
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane descended near vertically to ground impact on a private pilot certification practical flight test. There were no witnesses to the accident. The examiner and private pilot applicant departed to a practice area for a private certificate check ride. Passers-by noticed a fire and what appeared to be the wreckage of an airplane in the practice area and notified authorities. Examination of the wreckage revealed a vertical impact driving the engine up and aft beyond the firewall into the cabin area. The engine compartment and fuselage were heavily damaged by a ground fire. The right wing leading edge was accordioned with crush deformation nearly perpendicular to the chordline aft to the main spar on about a 30-degree angle from inboard to outboard, with evidence of airplane rotation to the left. No discrepancies were found with the airframe or engine during the examination.
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 (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 11,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: flight engineer, student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,695 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VGT North Las Vegas NV at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.