Cessna 172S accident near Payson, Arizona, May 7, 2007
On May 7, 2007 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N533ER, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona (Payson 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 pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, excessive airspeed on final approach, and failure to execute a go-around resulting in a misjudged flare and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2007 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · Payson · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- 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
- N533ER · no longer on the register · serial 172S9137
- 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, bouncing multiple times before coming to rest on an adjacent taxiway. In an attempt to allow excessive airspeed to decay, the pilot elected to land 1,700 feet beyond the threshold. The airplane contacted the runway with the nose wheel and the propeller striking first. The airplane then bounced, and landed hard approximately 95 feet further down the runway, again sustaining propeller strikes. It became airborne for another 125 feet before striking the runway and departing to the left, passing through turf and coming to rest on the adjacent taxiway. The operator reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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: 131 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,751 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 1, 2007; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 3:00 pm
- Destination: PAN Payson AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.