Cessna 172N accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida, May 17, 2004
On May 17, 2004 at about 9:59 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N737FE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida (North Perry airport). 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 pilot's failure to establish a climb and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted landing leading to the airplane departing the runway and incurring substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2004 · about 9:59 pm local time
- Place
- Pembroke Pines, Florida · North Perry · 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
- N737FE · no longer on the register · serial 17269378
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that while landing on runway 9R he initiated a go-around when his landing flare became unstable. The airplane did not climb and he elected to land on the remaining runway. He did not maintain directional control, departed the left side of runway 9R, impacted a taxiway sign and collapsed the nose gear incurring substantial damage. The pilot did not report any mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 81 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,048.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2004; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Pembroke Pines FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9R, 3,210 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 5:59 pm from HWO
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.