Cessna 172N accident near Payson, Arizona, May 17, 2003
On May 17, 2003 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739NS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona (Payson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, failure to retract the flaps during an aborted landing attempt, failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, and failure to maintain directional control. A factor in the accident was the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2003 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · Payson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739NS · no longer on the register · serial 17270679
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an aborted landing attempt following a bounced landing, the airplane drifted off the right side of the runway and collided with trees. The airplane bounced after touchdown, and the pilot attempted to abort the landing; however, he left the flaps down, and maintained the airplane in a nose high attitude. The stall warning horn sounded, and the pilot pushed the yoke forward. The airplane continued drifting to the right of the runway until it impacted trees north of the runway. The pilot was unfamiliar with the airport, and he also had not considered the element of a high-density altitude condition. The balked landing procedures in the Pilot Operating Handbook for the airplane call for the flaps to be immediately retracted to 20 degrees. The density altitude was computed to be 8,098 feet,.
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: 73 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 22, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,270.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 2003; 54.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGEU Glendale AZ at 5:40 pm
- Destination: KPAN Payson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 6:20 pm from PAN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N739NS 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.