Cessna 172M accident near Scottsdale, Arizona, April 11, 1998
On April 11, 1998 at about 9:19 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N73405, was destroyed in an accident near Scottsdale, Arizona (Scottsdale airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and his inadequate compensation for the wind condition. A contributing factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 1998 · about 9:19 pm local time
- Place
- Scottsdale, Arizona · Scottsdale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N73405 · no longer on the register · serial 17267434
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after initial touchdown, the airplane bounced back into the air and a strong gust of wind pushed it sideways. He then attempted to go-around but a second gust pushed the airplane toward a steel tower. The pilot then banked the airplane to the right to miss the tower and flew into an unoccupied construction trailer. At the time of landing, the crosswind component for the runway was approximately 19 knots, which is 4 knots above the limit stated by Cessna Aircraft Company for the model 172.
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: 207 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,607 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 19, 1998; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E60 Eloy AZ at 8:00 pm
- Destination: SDL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,251 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from KSD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N73405 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.