Cessna 172N accident near Foxworth, Mississippi, April 10, 2003
On April 10, 2003 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738QM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Foxworth, Mississippi (Circle Bar Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 perform a go-around, his failure to attain the proper touchdown point, and his delay in applying the normal brakes resulting in his inability to stop the airplane and subsequent on-ground collision with a fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2003 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Foxworth, Mississippi · Circle Bar Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738QM · registry record · serial 17270155
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that before departure he did not obtain a formal weather briefing nor file a flight plan but he did monitor the AWOS at the departure airport. After takeoff the flight proceeded to the destination airport (Circle Bar Ranch) where he flew overflew the airstrip and observed the windsock which indicated the wind was from the northeast at approximately 10 knots. He entered the traffic pattern for runway 09, and twice performed a go-around following two approaches to the runway. Following the second approach, the wind was from the northwest and he entered the traffic pattern for a full-stop landing on runway 27. Full flaps were extended for landing which he reported occurred about 1/4 down the runway, at an indicated airspeed between 55-60 knots. He held the nose landing gear off the ground and reported, "...played with the brakes", and "tapped them" between the time the nose landing gear contacted the runway and the midpoint of the runway where the airplane had decelerated aerodynamically to between 45-50 knots. At midpoint of the runway, with the throttle at idle and the flaps fully extended, the airplane accelerated to between 70 and 80 knots. He applied the brakes heavily but recognized the airplane would not stop on the remaining runway. With obstructions past the departure end of the runway, he intentionally maneuvered the airplane off the left side of the runway onto grass in the belief that the grass would help slow the airplane. The airplane traveled through a barb wire fence and 4-foot shallow embankment, then onto a road where the airplane came to rest upright with the nose landing gear wheel assembly separated. The pilot further stated that at the point the airplane accelerated, the engine did not accelerate. He additionally reported post accident there was no mechanical failure or malfunction and he did not apply the brakes early on due to the fact that he did not want to apply power to taxi up an incline to the ramp where the airplane was to be parked. Several witnesses reported that the airplane landed about the midpoint of the runway. Examination of the runway by the FAA inspector-in-charge revealed the runway was 2,400 feet in length by 43 feet in width; the runway midpoint has a slight rise. Examination of skid marks revealed the airplane departed the south side of the runway 27, approximately 204 feet before the departure end of the runway. The airplane traveled approximately 492 feet, collided with a barbed wire fence then rolled onto a private road.
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: 143 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 93 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 9, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,344.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2002; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHBG Hattiesburg MS at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Foxworth MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,400 ft by 43 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KMCB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N738QM 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.