Cessna 172 accident near Yuma, Arizona, September 2, 2005
On September 2, 2005 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5070A, was destroyed in an accident near Yuma, Arizona (Yuma International Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed on short final, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2005 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Yuma, Arizona · Yuma International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5070A · no longer on the register · serial 28070
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane stalled on short final and impacted the runway's displaced threshold in a nose low pitch attitude and erupted in flames. The pilot was flying the airplane from the right seat, with a passenger occupying the left seat in order to take some aerial photographs of nearby property. The airplane was on final approach and the pilot was conducting a full-flap landing. He reported that everything was fine, but the airplane began descending too fast. He applied some power to go-around, but the airplane encountered a gust of wind and stalled on short final. Witnesses at the airport observed the airplane on short final. The nose pitched up to a level position about 50 feet above the ground and then nosed down until impact with the ground. The weather observation facility at the airport was reporting the wind at 7 knots down the runway. The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harnesses.
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: 800 hours in all; 640 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 740 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,013 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: YUM Yuma AZ at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 6,146 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from YUM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.