Cessna 172N accident near Prescott, Arizona, July 25, 1999
On July 25, 1999 at about 2:19 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5535D, 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 premature retraction of the flaps during an aborted landing and his failure to obtain/maintain adequate flying airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush condition and the airplane settling back onto the ground. The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the subsequent ground roll was also causal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1999 · about 2:19 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
- N5535D · no longer on the register · serial 17272595
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing in a crosswind, the aircraft was unexpectedly blown toward the right side of the runway. At the time, the airplane was in a left wing low, forward slip, with full flaps at a landing airspeed. The left main gear touched down first and the aircraft yawed left and ran off the side of the runway. The pilot said he had not been quick enough in applying rudder to maintain runway alignment and he decided to go around. He added power and raised the flaps but was unable to sufficiently maintain flying speed once the airplane lifted off the ground. He tried to accelerate in ground effect but the aircraft landed hard off the side of the runway and bounced. He felt he had lost control and abruptly closed the throttle and applied the brakes. The airplane then ground looped to a stop in the grass area off the side of the runway.
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: 72 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,043 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 1999; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEZ Sedona AZ at 1:45 pm
- Destination: PRC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21L, 7,616 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 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.