Cessna 172P accident near Glendale, Arizona, October 6, 2006
On October 6, 2006 at about 6:07 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N97811, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glendale, Arizona (Glendale Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student's inadequate compensation for the gusting crosswind and inadequate flare that resulted in a hard landing. The certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight is also causal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2006 · about 6:07 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · Glendale Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N97811 · registry record · serial 17276232
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed hard, veered off the runway, and impacted a sign. Earlier, the student pilot and the certified flight instructor had performed a series of takeoffs and landings at the airport. Based upon the reported wind during the accident flight, the crew had experienced an 82-degree left crosswind at 12 knots, with gusts to 18 knots. An examination of the airplane revealed damage consistent with an overload/overstress type of failure to nose gear components due to a hard touchdown nose gear first, which resulted in a loss of steering capability.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 678 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Glendale Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 10:15 am
- Destination: GEU Glendale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 7,150 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 108° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from GEU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N97811 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.