Cessna 172N accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, July 20, 2005
On July 20, 2005 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4961D, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas Air Terminal 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
the student pilot's failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2005 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- North Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas Air Terminal · 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
- N4961D · registry record · serial 17272412
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After touching down on the runway, the airplane veered left off the runway, struck a ditch, crossed over a taxiway and collided with an airport location sign. The student pilot was returning from a round robin solo cross-country flight and configured the airplane for a full stop landing that included leveling off over the numbers and reducing the power to idle. The pilot said that the airplane stalled prior to the main landing gear touching down on the runway. After touchdown the airplane veered to the left and the pilot applied full right rudder and brake but the airplane did not respond and it exited the runway onto the gravel. The pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
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: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-320-H3AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: West Air Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 67L Mesquite NV at 12:20 pm
- Destination: VGT North Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12L, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from VGT
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 N4961D 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.