Cessna 172SP accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, January 19, 2005
On January 19, 2005 at about 6:30 am local time, a Cessna 172SP, registered N2157H, was involved in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona (Casa Grande Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent encounter with a rotating propeller. Contributing factors were the dark night conditions and the pilot's fatigued condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2005 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona · Casa Grande Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172SP · all 172SPs on the register
- Registration
- N2157H · registry record · serial 172S9536
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot sustained fatal injuries when he came into contact with the rotating propeller of his airplane prior to departing for a night flight. There were no known witnesses to the accident. According to information generated during investigations by law enforcement personnel and Safety Board investigators, the pilot started his airplane, and taxied toward the runway. For unknown reasons, the pilot apparently stopped on the taxiway and exited the airplane with the engine still operating, the parking brake set, and with the landing and taxi lights illuminated. He moved toward the front of the airplane with a flashlight in hand, and contacted the rotating propeller. The pilot was beginning the flight after a full day of work and after being awake for at least 16.5 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 79 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 825.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 1.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Angel Air
The flight
- Departed from: CGZ Casa Grande AZ at 6:30 am
- Destination: P19 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 am from CGZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX05LA073.