Cessna 172M accident near Tucson, Arizona, May 18, 2005
On May 18, 2005 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9017H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Tucson International 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 improper flare that induced a porpoise, which resulted in the overload failure of the nose wheel assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2005 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Tucson International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9017H · registry record · serial 17265901
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The nose wheel broke during a hard landing substantially damaging the airplane's firewall. The accident occurred during the student pilot's first supervised solo flight. The student's certified flight instructor reported that the airplane porpoised two times during the landing rollout. The 30-year-old airplane's total time was over 9,500 hours. An examination of the nose wheel assembly revealed 1/2 of the wheel had broken due to excessive side load pressure. The pressure allowed the assembly's snap ring to release wheel components thereby impeding the nose wheel's rotation.
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: 13 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 0 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,520.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2005; 21.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ at 2:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11R, 8,408 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from TUS
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.