Cessna 172S accident near Thermal, California, March 22, 2005
On March 22, 2005 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N562AB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Thermal, California (Thermal 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 inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions and 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
- March 22, 2005 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Thermal, California · Thermal · 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
- N562AB · registry record · serial 172S9545
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over after veering off the runway and colliding with a cement block during a touch-and-go. The student completed five successful touch-and-goes. On the sixth landing, a quartering wind blew the airplane to the left of the runway. The student tried to takeoff, but the airplane veered off the runway. The nose wheel hit a cement block, and the airplane nosed over. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,085.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 2005; 52.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSP Palm Springs CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TRM Thermal CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway TRM, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from TRM
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.