Cessna 172L accident near Beaufort, North Carolina, March 10, 2000
On March 10, 2000 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N3875Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaufort, North Carolina (Michael J. Smith Field). It was a personal 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 failure of the pilot to initiate a go-around after the airplane began to porpoise, resulting in a hard landing and structural damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2000 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Beaufort, North Carolina · Michael J. Smith Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3875Q · registry record · serial 17259975
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Several attempts were made to the talk with the pilot but were unsuccessful. The pilot stated during an interview with the insurance adjuster that there were no discrepancies noted during the preflight or engine run-up before takeoff. He stated that after departure the flight remained in the airport traffic pattern where he performed touch-and-go landings. During the flare of the accident landing, the flight was fast and the airplane began to porpoise resulting in a propeller strike. He further stated that he should have initiated a go-around but 'at the time I never experienced the porpoising during the flare. It happened so quickly that I didn't even finish it.' Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the firewall and propeller were damaged.
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: 80 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,256 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 29, 1999; 165 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: MRH at 3:54 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from EWN, 28 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N3875Q 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.