Cessna 172N accident near Prescott, Arizona, April 9, 1997
On April 9, 1997 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N8123E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Ernest A. Love Field). 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 condition, and his failure to maintain proper runway alignment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 1997 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Ernest A. Love Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N8123E · no longer on the register · serial 17272142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot had been cleared for his first unsupervised solo activity by his flight instructor and flight supervisor. The school established a maximum total wind component of 15 knots, and a maximum crosswind component of 5 knots. At approximately 0730, the flight supervisor recalled all student pilots from the practice area due to the wind direction and velocity exceeding the forecast conditions. The tower was in the process of changing runways. Before the runway change occurred, the student pilot requested and had been cleared for a touch-and-go landing on runway 21R. During the landing rollout phase, the student pilot encountered a crosswind, and the aircraft veered off of the runway and into a ditch. The wind was from 150 degrees at 8 knots. There were no mechanical malfunctions noted.
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: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1997; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21R, 4,842 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from PRC
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.